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ears of wheat |
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Wheat (Triticum species) is the most important of all the world’s staple cereal crops, with rice a close second. |
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Around 580 million tonnes of wheat are produced globally every year, 15 million tonnes of this from the UK.
Wheat grain (the seed plus its surrounding layers) contains most of the nutrients essential in a human diet - carbohydrates (mainly starch) plus proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins such as B complex and vitamin E. However, when white flour is produced, the bran (an outer fibrous layer) and germ (the part with the embryo) are removed. This removes most of the fibre, vitamins and minerals. |
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Wheat was probably domesticated from its wild relatives around 8,000 years ago in south-western Asia.
There are several wild and cultivated species of wheat and thousands of cultivars, bred to suit different climates, harvesting practices and purposes. Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum subspecies aestivum) is the most commonly-grown. Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subspecies durum) is used for pasta (for example spaghetti, macaroni and lasagne), couscous and bulgar.
In the last 60 or so years, average yields have risen dramatically, mainly due to increasing use of mechanisation, herbicides, fertilisers and new improved varieties.
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Some of the many foods made with wheat |
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