Wheat

There’s a reason the famous anthem “America the Beautiful” pays homage to wheat, lovingly calling it “amber waves of grain.” When it comes to whole grains, wheat is king, at least in quantity; more foods are made with wheat than any other cereal grain. But what, exactly, is “wheat”? Turns out, it’s a class of grain that contains many different varieties. What they have in common is the wheat berry at their core; wheats, or “cereal” grains, are essentially grasses whose seeds are used for food.

There are as many wheat species as there are applications for this versatile grain. Within species, farmers classify wheat further by growing season, gluten content, hardness, uses, and grain color.

The ancient Romans grew several wheat species, calling the one they used for bread triticum, the name celebrated taxonomist Linnaeus borrowed when he classified the wheats as genus Triticum. Ancient forms of wheat like einkorn (T. monococcum), emmer (T. dicoccum), and spelt (T. spelta) still exist, but have been largely replaced by winter and spring wheats. The most common wheats in the United States are:

Durum—hard, translucent, used for semolina flour and pastaHard red spring—hard, brownish, high-protein, used in firm breads and baked goodsHard red winter—firm, brownish, mellow, ideal in breads and as a pastry crust protein boosterSoft red winter—softer, suited for pastriesHard white—usually in bread and beerSoft white—used in pastry flour

Wheat’s flavor ranges from the earthy nuttiness of spelt to the classic, mildly sweet toastiness of our favorite variety, hard red wheat.

Wheat was first grown in the Tigris and Euphrates River Valley, sometime between 10,000 and 8,000 BCE. The Chinese also have records of wheat dating back to 2,700 BCE. Historians believe the annual wheat plant we know today was probably derived from a perennial, and was likely first gathered as small seeds from relatively unproductive grasses and only later cultivated on a larger scale. These ancient wild grasses are called Triticeae and form the basis of wheat’s current scientific classification. Einkorn was the first wheat cultivated in the Fertile Crescent. Its offshoot, emmer, came later but enjoyed wider use; Egyptians used it to make bread and it has also been traced to early Neolithic tribes in Europe, Great Britain, and Ireland.

In its natural, unrefined state, wheat has a bunch of vital nutrients, including B vitamins, calcium, iron, and fiber. Hard red wheat berries have the highest protein content of any wheat, up to 15%—pretty awesome, from a nutrition perspective. However, before you dive into a delicious whole-wheat snack, a word of warning: Sometimes wheat ingredients on food labels are described in such a way that they appear to have the benefits of whole grains when, in fact, they don’t. Watch out for words like “multi-grain,” “100% wheat,” “seven-grain” and “bran”; if it doesn’t say “whole,” it’s probably not a whole-grain product.

Hard red wheats, the kind we use in our foods, have medium to high protein levels. Hard red wheat is grown primarily in Minnesota, the Great Plains between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, and from Texas to the Dakotas and Montana. Wow—that’s 23 million acres of wheaty goodness!

Hard red wheat has lots of fiber and excellent milling and baking qualities. You’ll find tasty organic whole wheat baked into crispy biscuits in our Autumn Wheat®, Cinnamon Harvest®, and Island Vanilla® cereals.

Much of our organic wheat is grown by our core group of growers who include: Mark and Marcy Jones of Oshkosh, Nebraska; Allan Benson of Sterling, Colorado; Trudi Glassburn of Sidney, Nebraska; Kenneth Disney of Lodgepole, Nebraska; Michael Wiest of Lodgepole, Nebraska, who has been an organic grower for 16 years; Joel Cross of Harrisburg, Nebraska; Dale Sandberg of Burns, Wyoming; Richard Carter of Loop, Texas; Cal Cowen of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada; Brady and Ron Taggart of Winner, South Dakota; and Mike and Darla Assman of Mission, South Dakota, who just installed new grain bins to store Kashi wheat. (Thanks, guys!) We’re also excited to share that Baker Farms, operated by Terry and Dennis Baker, in Chugwater, Missouri, was recently named Ag Business of the Year by the Platte County Chamber of Commerce, so we’re celebrating along with them!

Today, wheat is grown in nearly every country in the world. It’s a popular staple enjoyed all over, in everything from pastas and cereals to breads and crackers. Durum wheat from the U.S., for instance, is exported to North Africa, where it is used to create North African couscous. Wheat is the foundation of pitas, found in Mediterranean and Arabian cuisines, tortillas, a Mexican must, and Polish pierogi.

To give you an idea of just how widespread wheat use is, consider that just fifteen crop plants provide 90% of the world’s food, and three—rice, maize, and wheat—comprise up to two-thirds of this figure. So, in a way, wheat really does help feed the world.

Learn more about our 7 whole grains with these Grainipedia entries:

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