Ancient grains

Ancient grainsis amarketingterm used to describe a category ofgrainsandpseudocerealsthat are purported to have been minimally changed byselective breedingover recent millennia, as opposed to more widespread cereals such ascorn,riceand modern varieties ofwheat, which are the product of thousands of years of selective breeding. Ancient grains are often marketed as being morenutritiousthan modern grains, though their health benefits over modern varieties have been disputed by somenutritionists.
Ancient grains include varieties of wheat:spelt,Khorasan wheat(Kamut),einkorn, andemmer; the grainsmillet,barley,teff,oats, andsorghum; and the pseudocerealsquinoa,amaranth,buckwheat, andchia.Some authors considerbulgurandfreekehto be ancient grains,though they are usually made from ordinary wheat. Modern wheat is ahybrid descendantof three wheatspeciesconsidered to be ancient grains: spelt, einkorn, and emmer.
The origin of grains goes back to theNeolithic Revolutionabout 10,000 years ago, when prehistoric communities started to make the transition fromhunter-gathererto farmer. Modern varieties of grains have been developed over time through mutation, selective cropping, breeding and research in biotechnology.Ancient grains, however, are said to be largely unchanged from their initial domesticated varieties.
Various forms ofarchaeobotanicalevidence, such as carbonized and semicarbonized grains,coprolitesand imprints of grains, husks or spikelets onpotsherds, have been found during excavations of Neolithic sites.
Ancient grains played a role in the spiritual life of several ancient civilizations, from theAztecsto the Greeks and Egyptians.Quinoawas called the "mother of all grains" and considered sacred by theInca people.Amaranth was likewise considered sacred by the Aztecs, and was used as part of a religious ceremony, its cultivation being banned by Spanish colonial authorities.Farro grains are mentioned in theOld Testament.
The first reference to ancient grains as a health food was in theDaily News(New York) in 1996.Since then the popularity of ancient grains as a food has increased,and in 2011 the gluten-free food market was valued at $1.6 billion.
Archaeobotanical studies indicate three species ofwheatexisted in the distant past. These areTriticum sphaerococcum,Triticum vulgareandTriticum compactum. The first twohexaploidspecies are still cultivated in modern times, mostly inNorthern India.
Thediploidspecieseinkornandtetraploidspeciesemmerare early wheat species. Evidence for them dates to theBus Mordeh phase(7500 BC to 6500 BC) recovered from excavation atAli KoshinIranand somewhat later evidence fromNea Nikomedeia.Triticum durum Desfmay once have been cultivated inAncient Egypt.
Some grains found inIndiaare:
Along with wheat,barley(Hordeum) is one of the earliest cultivatedcrops. It was commonly cultivated throughout the Near East and Southern Europe in itshulledform, and the domesticated two row species may have originated atBeidha,Jarmo, orAli Kosh.Hordeum spontaneumwas found atÇatalhöyük(5850 BCE - 5600 BCE) andHordeum distichumat Ali Kosh (6750 BCE - 6000 BCE). In India it was mostly cultivated in the north and central regions, extending only as far south asInamgaonandNevasa.
Rice is believed to have been cultivated atNon Nok ThainThailandsince 3500 BC where impressions of grains of rice have been found on potsherds. Other cultivation sites include the Neolithic sites ofYangshao,Liu Tzuchen,Anhui,Kionsi,ZhejiangandHubei.
Not directly related to domesticated rice,wild ricehas nearly twice the dietary fibre ofOryza sativaandOryza glaberrimaand contains around 15% protein andlipidsincluding essentialomega-3andomega-6fatty acids.TheAnishinaabeare thought to have harvested wild rice in prehistoric North America, according to archaeologists studying the clay linings of thermal features and jigging pits associated withparchingandthreshingof the plant.
The origin offinger millet(also calledragi) is debated with various proposals placing it in Africa (Abyssinia), or India. Charred grains of cultivated and wild ragi have been found at the Neolithic siteHallurin southern India. Wild ragi (eleusine indica Gaertn) is known only from Songaon andBhokardan, while the cultivated form appears atPaiyampalliinTamilnadu, Songaon and later at Bhokardan andNevasainMaharashtra.
Cultivation ofpearl milletis known from sites with semi-arid climate, occurring atHallur,Rangpurand Nevasa.  Cultivation ofpearl milletin modern India (where it is also calledbajra) is mostly limited to the country's semi-arid regions. In Africa evidence has been found dating to theNaghez phase, but it is not known whether these were cultivated. Both wild and cultivated grain impressions were found atLe Baidla I.
Charred grains ofPaspalum scrobiculatum(Kodo millet), dating to theSatavahanaperiod, have been found at Nevasa.Sorghum vulgareis known from semi-arid parts ofRajasthanand Maharashtra like Inamgaon,PaunarandAhar.
Ancient grains are rich inprotein, somemicronutrients, anddietary fiber.Some nutritionists state that they are not inherently more healthful than modern grains, and that ancient and modern grains have similar nutritional content when eaten as whole grains.
Some, but not all, ancient grains aregluten-free. Amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, and teff are gluten-free, but the ancient kinds of wheat (including spelt, einkorn, and Khorasan wheat) are not.