Cereals - Spelt (Triticum spelta)

Spelt, also known as Dinkel, is an early form of wheat that originated near the Caspian Sea in south west Asia. The grain is enclosed in a hard hull or shell that makes threshing very difficult.

Common in Britain in the Iron Age and early Roman Period, it was later replaced for bread making by wheat that is easier to thresh from the ear. Spelt is now grown in small quantities in Britain, Europe and America for the health food market. The grain can be milled into flour for bread making, processed into flakes for muesli, or even roasted as a 'coffee' substitute.
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