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CEREALS/
MILLETS |
BOTANICAL
NAME-FAMILY |
Tamil |
Malayalam |
Hindi
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Telugu |
Sanskrit |
Marathi |
fiber |
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Spelt |
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Spelt comes from a
wheat-like plant whose seed somewhat resembles wheat but is a
bit longer and more pointed. Just like hard red winter wheat,
Spelt must be planted in the fall of the year, maturing the
following summer. It is an ancient grain that has been grown all
over Europe for the last 9,000 years and is also referred to in
the Old Testament of the Bible. In fact, it is believed that
only the grains Emmer and Elkorn have preceded Spelt in being
domesticated. Spelt's "nutty" flavor has long been popular in
Europe, where it is also known as "Farro" (Italy) and "Dinkle"
(Germany). In Roman times it was "Farrum", and origins can be
traced back early Mesopotamia. Spelt (Triticum spelta) is an
ancient distant cousin to modern wheat (Triticum aestivum). Here
in the United States, Spelt was brought by Swiss Immigrants to
the Eastern Ohio and from that time spelt was a very common
grain grown for hundreds of years throughout the United States.
During the 20th Century, it was almost completely abandoned for
the more modern varieties of wheat which had a higher yield,
shorter growing season and better resistance to disease. In
Europe, especially during the Middle Ages, Spelt was grown for
human consumption and also animal feed. Here in the United
States, until recent times, Spelt was grown mostly as feed.
However, since the mid 1980's, Spent has made a real inroad into
the health food market as a wheat substitute.
Many people who are allergic to wheat can tolerate Spelt.
However, many allergy doctors believe that Spelt is too closely
related to wheat for it to be an effective replacement grain.
Celiac Disease clients can not eat spelt. For people on Blood
Type diets, AB is friendly to this grain.
