Emmer wheat - Definition and Overview

Emmer wheat is a wild species of wheat officially known as Triticum dicoccoides. It is a tetraploid species. The domesticated variant was used in ancient times in Egypt and the Fertile Crescent. Also used in modern Ethiopia.

A low yielding, tall (2m) awned wheat with small grains and originating from a mutation with no husk. Closely related to the modern durum wheat used for pasta, Emmer dates from approximately 7000 BC. This wheat along with barley, has been found on sites, including the Pyramids, all over the near east and Europe from the earliest times. In fact Emmer wheat was the staple cereal of prehistory, the real reason why early agriculture actually worked. Even today it is grown in remote areas of Turkey and Syria.

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