Emmer

Emmer is a hybrid species of wheat. Along with einkorn, it was one of the first crops domesticated in the Near East. It was widely cultivated in the ancient world, but is now a relict crop in mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. Emmer is one of the three grains called farro in Italy. The edible seeds have been used as food since ancient times. The domesticated types are Triticum turgidum subsp. dicoccum and Triticum turgidum subsp. durum. The wild plant is called Triticum dicoccoides. The seeds have an awned covering, the sharp spikes helping the seeds to become buried in the ground. The principal difference between the wild and the domestic forms is that the ripened seed head of the wild plant shatters and scatters the seed onto the ground, while in the domesticated emmer, the seed head remains intact, thus making it easier to harvest the grain.