For thousands of years, cereals have been a staple part of the human diet. Because of this, cereal cultivation has greatly shaped the nature of human society all over the world. Ceres is the Goddess of Earth and Harvest in Roman mythology, which reflects the fundamental importance of cereals to ancient civilisations. In fact, ancient historic literature is littered with references to different cereals, from peoples as diverse as the Egyptians, Aztecs, Greeks, Turks and Chinese.
Cereals are actually grasses, whose seeds or grains can be cultivated for food.
Although this is their primary value, our use of these extraordinary grasses is certainly not limited to food. All cereals have evolved and changed throughout history. So the type of corn which we eat in Australia and New Zealand differs significantly from that which was treasured by the Aztecs thousands of years ago. All commercially produced cereals have several distinct classes, each of which is cultivated and processed for different purposes, depending on its properties. Take a look at our diagram of a grain to find out why.