the.com/spelt
the ancient grain that survived empires by being too stubborn to improve
means An ancient species of wheat (Triticum spelta) with a tough outer husk, grown as a hardy grain crop and now popular as a nuttier, old-fashioned alternative to modern wheat.
from From Old English 'spelt,' which itself borrowed from a Late Latin word 'spelta' for the grain. The Germanic and Latin forms are tangled cousins, and beyond that the trail goes cold — its deeper root is genuinely uncertain. (As a side note, 'spelt' as the past tense of 'spell' is a separate word entirely, from Old English 'spellian,' to tell or speak.)
- old roots
- Cultivated since 5000 BC across the Near East
- tough coat
- Hull clings hard, protecting kernels from pests and weather
- gluten truth
- Contains gluten, so not celiac-safe despite the hype
- name twist
- Past tense of spell in British English too
- crop comeback
- Nearly extinct, revived by artisan bakers in 1980s
spelt bread — ancient grain used in european baking, particularly in switzerland and germany, with 8,000+ year history
triticum dicoccum — scientific name for spelt, hull-covered wheat species grown in swabia region of germany