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Ancient grains is a marketing term used to describe a category of and that are purported to have been minimally changed by selective breeding over recent millennia, as opposed to more widespread cereals such as Maize, rice and modern varieties of wheat, which are the product of thousands of years of selective breeding. Ancient grains are often marketed as being more nutrition than modern grains, though their health benefits over modern varieties have been disputed by some .
Ancient grains include varieties of wheat: spelt, Khorasan wheat (Kamut), Einkorn wheat, and emmer; the grains millet, barley, teff, , and sorghum; and the pseudocereals quinoa, Amaranth grain, buckwheat, and Salvia hispanica. Some authors consider bulgur and freekeh to be ancient grains,Charlie Fox, Freekeh Recipes: A Guide to Cooking with this Ancient Grain, 2020 though they are usually made from ordinary wheat. Modern wheat is a Hybrid species of three wheat species considered to be ancient grains: spelt, einkorn, and emmer.
Various forms of Paleoethnobotany evidence, such as carbonized and semicarbonized grains, and imprints of grains, husks or spikelets on potsherds, have been found during excavations of Neolithic sites.
Ancient grains played a role in the spiritual life of several ancient civilizations, from the Aztecs to the Greeks and Egyptians. Quinoa was called the "mother of all grains" and considered sacred by the Inca 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 the Old Testament.
The first reference to ancient grains as a health food was in the Daily 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.
The diploid species einkorn and tetraploid species emmer are early wheat species. Evidence for them dates to the Bus Mordeh phase (7500 BC to 6500 BC) recovered from excavation at Ali Kosh in Iran and somewhat later evidence from Nea Nikomedeia. Triticum durum Desf may once have been cultivated in Ancient Egypt.
Some grains found in India are:
Cultivation of pearl millet is known from sites with semi-arid climate, occurring at Hallur, Rangpur and Nevasa. Cultivation of pearl millet in modern India (where it is also called bajra) is mostly limited to the country's semi-arid regions. In Africa evidence has been found dating to the Naghez phase, but it is not known whether these were cultivated. Both wild and cultivated grain impressions were found at Le Baidla I.
Charred grains of Paspalum scrobiculatum (Kodo millet), dating to the Satavahana period, have been found at Nevasa. Sorghum vulgare is known from semi-arid parts of Rajasthan and Maharashtra like Inamgaon, Paunar and Ahar.
Some, but not all, ancient grains are gluten-free. Amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, and teff are gluten-free, but the ancient kinds of wheat (including spelt, einkorn, and Khorasan wheat) are not.
Barley
Along with wheat, barley ( Hordeum) is one of the earliest cultivated . It was commonly cultivated throughout the Near East and Southern Europe in its hulled form, and the domesticated two row species may have originated at Beidha, Jarmo, or Ali Kosh. Hordeum spontaneum was found at Çatalhöyük (5850 BCE - 5600 BCE) and Hordeum distichum at Ali Kosh (6750 BCE - 6000 BCE). In India it was mostly cultivated in the north and central regions, extending only as far south as Inamgaon and Nevasa.
Rice
Rice is believed to have been cultivated at Non Nok Tha in Thailand since 3500 BC where impressions of grains of rice have been found on potsherds. Other cultivation sites include the Neolithic sites of Yangshao culture, Liu Tzuchen, Anhui, Kionsi, Zhejiang and Hubei.
Wild rice
Not directly related to domesticated rice, wild rice has nearly twice the dietary fibre of Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima and contains around 15% protein and including essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The Anishinaabe are thought to have harvested wild rice in prehistoric North America, according to archaeologists studying the clay linings of thermal features and jigging pits associated with Parched grain and threshing of the plant.
Millet
The origin of finger millet (also called ragi) 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 site Hallur in southern India. Wild ragi ( eleusine indica Gaertn) is known only from Songaon and Bhokardan, while the cultivated form appears at Paiyampalli in Tamilnadu, Songaon and later at Bhokardan and Nevasa in Maharashtra.
Nutritional claims
Ancient grains are rich in protein, some , and dietary 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.
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