Friday, March 2, 2012

The grain of civilization


Triticum dicoccoides (wild emmer wheat) growing in an Israeli field

Emmer wheat was first cultivated at least 10,000 years ago in the area of the Fertile Crescent, and enabled the establishment of the first agricultural communities. While emmer grains have been found in numerous archaeological sites, it was discovered still growing in the wild in Israel in 1906. Subsequent studies have shown that this wild wheat is the progenitor of modern cultivated wheat, and is thus a great resource for breeding heartier strains.

4 comments:

  1. How do I get a beer recipe that uses this grain? Does Elaine Solowey have access to this grain?

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  2. Hey Malphas - just go up to Ramat Hanadiv, and you can find it growing all over the place! Just remember though, that weissbier also conains alot of barley (which also grows wild in Israel). THAT being said, also remember that beer is a barbarian invention, while wine is a product of the ancient Middle East!

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    1. Wasn't beer brewed by the ancient Egyptians? With perhaps some fudging the ancient Israelites might have learned beer brewing from them and brought it with them to Canaan. The Carlsburg factory in Ashdod has a nice exhibit on Egyptian brewing and local grains.

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  3. http://brewingwithwheat.com/because-im-a-sucker-for-emmer/ - I got this from Malphas

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