Spelt

Spelt is a species of Triticum, a large stout grass similar to bread wheat. Its flowering spike is slenderer than that of bread wheat; when ripe, it bends somewhat from the vertical. The spike is roughly four-edged. The axis of the spike is brittle and divided into segments; it shatters into separate segments when fully ripe. Spelt differs from bread wheat in that each seed (a caryopsis, botanically a fruit with its wall fused to the single seed inside) stays fully encapsulated by its husk.{{cite web |website=World Flora Online |year=2024 |title=Triticum spelta L. |url=http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000906367 |access-date=1 November 2024 }}

Especially in the context of descriptions of ancient cultures, the English word spelt has sometimes been used for grains that were not T. spelta, but other species of hulled wheat such as T. dicoccum (emmer wheat) or T. monococcum (einkorn wheat, also known as "little spelt", in French "petit épeautre"). This confusion may arise either from mistranslation of words found in other languages that can denote hulled wheat in general (such as Italian farro, which can denote any of emmer, spelt or einkorn; spelt is sometimes distinguished as {{lang|it|farro grande}}, 'large farro',{{cite web |access-date=December 23, 2017 |url=https://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/_migrated/uploads/tx_news/Farro_in_Italy_1266.pdf |title=Farro in Italy |first=Markus |last=Buerli |year=2006 |publisher=The Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species |via=Bioversity International |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224101159/https://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/_migrated/uploads/tx_news/Farro_in_Italy_1266.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2017}} emmer as {{lang|it|farro medio}}, ('medium farro'), and einkorn as {{lang|it|farro piccolo}}, 'little farro'{{cite news |last=Cornish |first=Richard |url=https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/eating-out/what-is-the-difference-between-farro-spelt-and-freekeh-20140215-32rzv.html |title=What is the difference between farro, spelt and freekeh? |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=February 18, 2014 |url-access=subscription}}), or changing opinions about which actual species of wheat are described in texts written in ancient languages. Thus, the meaning of the ancient Greek word {{Lang|grc|ζειά}} ([zeiá]) or {{Lang|grc|ζέα}} is either uncertain or vague, and has been argued to denote einkorn{{cite book |last=Austin |first=Benjamin M. |title=Plant Metaphors in the Old Greek of Isaiah |year=2019 |page=191 |publisher=SBL Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wyuFDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA191|isbn=9780884142911}} or emmer rather than spelt.{{LSJ|zeia/|ζειά|ref}} Likewise, the ancient Roman grain denoted by the Latin word {{Lang|la|far}}, although often translated as 'spelt', was in fact emmer.{{cite journal |last=Thompson |first=D'Arcy W. |author-link=D'Arcy Thompson |title=Wheat in Antiquity |year=1946 |journal=The Classical Review |volume=60 |issue=3 |pages=120–122 |doi=10.1017/S0009840X00090387 |jstor=703297 |s2cid=163645029}} Similarly, references to the cultivation of spelt wheat in Biblical times in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are incorrect: they result from confusion with emmer wheat.{{cite web |last=Nesbitt |first=Mark |title=Wheat Evolution: Integrating Archaeological and Biological Evidence |year=2001 |url=http://www.marknesbitt.org.uk/uploads/1/7/7/1/17711127/nesbitt2001wheat.pdf}}.

Like common wheat, spelt is a hexaploid wheat species, which means it has six sets of chromosomes. It is derived from a hybridisation event between a domesticated tetraploid wheat such as durum wheat and another wheat species, increasing the number of sets of chromosomes. Genetic evidence indicates an initial hybridisation of a domesticated tetraploid wheat and the diploid wild goat-grass Aegilops tauschii. It further shows that spelt could have arisen as the result of a second hybridisation, this time of bread wheat and emmer wheat, giving rise to European spelt.{{cite journal |last1=Blatter |first1=R.H. |last2=Jacomet |first2=S. |last3=Schlumbaum |first3=A. |title=About the Origin of European Spelt (Triticum spelta L.): Allelic Differentiation of the HMW Glutenin B1-1 and A1-2 Subunit Genes |journal=Theoretical and Applied Genetics |date=January 2004 |volume=108 |issue=2 |pages=360–367 |doi=10.1007/s00122-003-1441-7 |pmid=14564390 |s2cid=26586515 |url=http://doc.rero.ch/record/316374/files/122_2003_Article_1441.pdf}}{{cite journal |last1=De Oliveira |first1=Romain |last2=Rimbert |first2=Hélène |last3=Balfourier |first3=François |last4=Kitt |first4=Jonathan |last5=Dynomant |first5=Emeric |last6=Vrána |first6=Jan |last7=Doležel |first7=Jaroslav |last8=Cattonaro |first8=Federica |last9=Paux |first9=Etienne |last10=Choulet |first10=Frédéric |display-authors=5 |title=Structural Variations Affecting Genes and Transposable Elements of Chromosome 3B in Wheats |journal=Frontiers in Genetics |date=18 August 2020 |volume=11 |pages=891 |doi=10.3389/fgene.2020.00891 |pmid=33014014 |pmc=7461782 |doi-access=free}} The spelt genome continues to influence the breeding of modern hexaploid bread wheat through recent hybridisation.{{cite journal | last1=Wang | first1=Yongfa | last2=Wang | first2=Zihao | last3=Chen | first3=Yongming | last4=Lan | first4=Tianyu | last5=Wang | first5=Xiaobo | last6=Liu | first6=Gang | last7=Xin | first7=Mingming | last8=Hu | first8=Zhaorong | last9=Yao | first9=Yingyin | last10=Ni | first10=Zhongfu | last11=Sun | first11=Qixin | last12=Guo | first12=Weilong | last13=Peng | first13=Huiru |display-authors=5 | title=Genomic insights into the origin and evolution of spelt (Triticum spelta L.) as a valuable gene pool for modern wheat breeding | journal=Plant Communications | volume=5 | issue=5 | date=2024 | pmid=38491771 | pmc=11121738 | doi=10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100883 | doi-access=free | page=100883| bibcode=2024PlCom...500883W }}

File:Spelt origins.svg of bread wheat and emmer. It continues to influence modern breeds of bread wheat.]]

Spelt, being closely related to bread wheat, is a likely source of alleles to increase wheat's genetic diversity, and so improve crop yields. Analysis of the Oberkulmer cultivar of spelt found 40 alleles that could contribute to increased yield. Among the differences were spelt's larger grain size, greater fertility of tillers, and longer fruiting spikes.{{cite journal | last1=Xie | first1=Quan | last2=Mayes | first2=Sean | last3=Sparkes | first3=Debbie L. | title=Spelt as a Genetic Resource for Yield Component Improvement in Bread Wheat | journal=Crop Science | volume=55 | issue=6 | date=2015 | issn=0011-183X | doi=10.2135/cropsci2014.12.0842 | pages=2753–2765}} {{Vanchor |Pm5}} is an effector-triggered resistance gene for powdery mildew.{{cite journal |issue=1 |year=2019 |last1=Cowger |first1=Christina |last2=Brown |first2=James |volume=57 |pages=253–277 |publisher=Annual Reviews |title=Durability of Quantitative Resistance in Crops: Greater Than We Know? |journal=Annual Review of Phytopathology |s2cid=190533925 |doi=10.1146/annurev-phyto-082718-100016 |pmid=31206351 }}

File:2009-06-20 Silvolde 02 dinkel.jpg

Spelt has been cultivated since approximately 5000 BCE. In the fifth millennium BCE, there are archaeological remains in the north of Iraq and in Transcaucasia, north-east of the Black Sea. Much more evidence comes from Europe.{{cite book |last1=Cubadda |first1=Raimondo |last2=Marconi |first2=Emanuele |chapter=Spelt Wheat |editor1=Belton, Peter S. |editor2=Taylor, John R.N. |title=Spelt Wheat in Pseudocereals and Less Common Cereals: Grain Properties and Utilization Potential |year=2002 |publisher=Springer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NRMdXx8fC8kC&q=Pseudocereals+and+less+Common+cereals:+Grain+Properties+and+utilization+Potential |isbn=978-3540429395 |page=154}} Remains of spelt have been found in Denmark, Germany, and Poland from the later Neolithic (dating from 2500–1700 BCE).{{cite journal |last=Akeret |first=Örni |title=Plant Remains From a Bell Beaker Site in Switzerland, and the Beginnings of Triticum spelta (spelt) Cultivation in Europe |journal=Vegetation History and Archaeobotany | date=April 6, 2005 |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=279–286 |doi=10.1007/s00334-005-0071-1 |bibcode=2005VegHA..14..279A |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00334-005-0071-1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121227183305/http://china.springerlink.com/content/j0453274uw744tw9/?p=9a73f75a245d448a844fbf12f99e7740&pi=0 |archive-date=2012-12-27 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} Evidence of spelt has been found from across central Europe from the Bronze Age. In the south of Germany and Switzerland in the Iron Age (750–15 BCE), it was a major type of wheat, while by 500 BCE, it had in addition become widespread in the south of Britain. There is evidence that spelt cultivation increased in Iron Age Britain as damp regions of the country with heavy soils tolerated by spelt were being settled.{{cite book |last=Albarella |first=Umberto |chapter=The end of the Sheep Age: people and animals in the Late Iron Age |editor1=Moore, Elizabeth |editor2=Moore, Tom |title=The Late Iron Age in Britain and beyond |date=January 2007 |publisher=Oxbow Books |location=Oxford |pages=389–402 |doi=10.13140/RG.2.1.1272.5208 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283322944}}

In the Middle Ages, spelt was cultivated in parts of Switzerland, Tyrol, Germany, northern France and the southern Low Countries.{{Cite journal |last=Bakels |first=Corrie C. |date=2005-06-21 |title=Crops produced in the southern Netherlands and northern France during the early medieval period: a comparison |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00334-005-0067-x |journal=Vegetation History and Archaeobotany |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=394–399 |doi=10.1007/s00334-005-0067-x |bibcode=2005VegHA..14..394B |issn=0939-6314|url-access=subscription }} Spelt became a major crop in Europe in the 9th century CE, possibly because it is more suitable for storage and being husked makes it more adaptable to cold climates.{{cite book |last=Newfield |first=Timothy P. |year=2013 |chapter=The Contours, Frequency and Causation of Subsistence Crises in Carolingian Europe (750-950 CE) |title=Crisis Alimentarian en la Edad Media |location=Lleida, Spain |publisher=Universidad de Lleida |page=170}}

Spelt was introduced to the United States in the 1890s. In the 20th century, spelt was replaced by bread wheat in almost all areas where it was still grown. The organic farming movement revived its popularity somewhat toward the end of the 20th century, as spelt requires less fertilizer.{{cite journal |last1=Sugár |first1=Eszter |last2=Fodor |first2=Nándor |last3=Sándor |first3=Renáta |last4=Bónis |first4=Péter |last5=Vida |first5=Gyula |last6=Árendás |first6=Tamás |title=Spelt Wheat: An Alternative for Sustainable Plant Production at Low N-Levels |journal=Sustainability|date=27 November 2019 |volume=11 |issue=23 |pages=6726 |doi=10.3390/su11236726 |doi-access=free}} Since the beginning of the 21st century, spelt has become a common wheat substitute for making artisanal loaves of bread, pasta, and flakes.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/may/15/spelt-grain-supplies-under-pressure-high-demand |title=Spelt flour 'wonder grain' set for a price hike as supplies run low|last=Smithers |first=Rebecca |newspaper=The Guardian |date=15 May 2014 |access-date=30 January 2017}} By 2014, the grain was popular in the UK, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. Shortages were reported although spelt was grown in those countries.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/spelt-shortage-high-demand-and-a-poor-harvest-has-left-mills-unable-to-supply-bakeries-9349934.html |title=Spelt shortage | work=The Independent |date=11 May 2014 |url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/spelt-shortage-high-demand-and-a-poor-harvest-has-left-mills-unable-to-supply-bakeries-9349934.html |archive-date=2022-05-24 |url-status=live}} In the United States, most spelt is grown in Ohio as of 2022.{{cite news |url=https://ofbf.org/2022/11/15/french-family-ohio-spelt-production/|title=French family leads the way in spelt production|work=Ohio Farm Bureau|date=15 November 2022|quote=The first spelt wasn’t grown in the United States until the 1890s. And, today, most of the nation’s spelt is grown in Ohio...}}{{cite book|date = 1990|title=Alternative Field Crops Manual|url=https://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/Crops/Spelt.aspx|publisher=University of Wisconsin|quote=Most of the nation's spelt acreage is in Ohio. That state grows between 100,000 and 200,000 acres of spelt annually, about 10 times more than any other state.}}

{{nutritionalvalue|

name = Spelt, uncooked

| kJ = 1410

| protein = 14.57 g

| fat = 2.43 g

| polyfat = 1.258 g

| carbs = 70.19 g

| starch = 53.92 g

| fibre = 10.7 g

| thiamin_mg = 0.364

| riboflavin_mg = 0.113

| folate_ug = 45

| vitE_mg = 0.79

| niacin_mg = 6.843

| calcium_mg = 27

| potassium_mg = 388

| sodium_mg = 8

| iron_mg = 4.44

| magnesium_mg = 136

| manganese_mg = 3.0

| phosphorus_mg = 401

| zinc_mg = 3.28

| vitB6_mg = 0.230

| water = 11.02 g

| note =[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169745/nutrients Full USDA Nutrient Report]}}

A {{convert|100|g|oz|abbr=off|adj=on|frac=2}} reference serving of uncooked spelt provides {{convert|340|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=off}} of food energy and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value) of protein, dietary fiber, several B vitamins, and numerous dietary minerals (table). Highest nutrient contents include manganese (143% DV), phosphorus (57% DV), and niacin (46% DV). Spelt contains about 70% total carbohydrates, including 11% as dietary fibre, and is low in fat (table).

Spelt contains gluten, and is therefore suitable for baking, but this component makes it unsuitable for people with gluten-related disorders, such as celiac disease.{{cite journal |journal=European Food Research and Technology |year=2001 |volume=213 |issue=3 |pages=183–186 |title=Comparative Investigations of Gluten Proteins from Different Wheat Species |last=Wieser |first=H. |doi=10.1007/s002170100365 |s2cid=84523520}}

In comparison to hard red winter wheat, spelt has a more soluble protein matrix characterized by a higher gliadin:glutenin ratio.{{cite journal |author1=Schober, T.J. |author2=Bean, S.R. |author3=Kuhn, M. |year=2006 |title=Gluten Proteins from Spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) Cultivars: A Rheological and Size-Exclusion High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Study |journal=Journal of Cereal Science |volume=44 |number=2 |pages=161–173 |format=pdf |url=http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/8787/PDF |access-date=21 November 2013 |doi=10.1016/j.jcs.2006.05.007 |archive-date=31 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531185928/https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/8787/PDF |url-status=dead |url-access=subscription }}{{cite journal |author1=Kohajdová, Z. |author2=Karovičová, J. |year=2008 |title=Nutritional Value and Baking Applications of Spelt Wheat |journal=Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Technologia Alimentaria|volume=7 |number=3 |pages=5–14 |url=http://www.food.actapol.net/tom7/zeszyt3/1_3_2008.pdf |access-date=21 November 2013}}

In Germany and Austria, spelt loaves and rolls (dinkelbrot) are widely available in bakeries.{{cite book |last1=Nesbitt |first1=Mark |title=The Cultural History of Plants |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-203-02090-1 |pages=45–61 |chapter=Grains}} The unripe spelt grains are dried and eaten as grünkern ("green grain").{{Cite journal |last1=Berihuete-Azorín |first1=Marian |last2=Stika |first2=Hans-Peter |last3=Hallama |first3=Moritz |last4=Valamoti |first4=Soultana Maria |date=April 17, 2020 |title=Distinguishing ripe spelt from processed green spelt (Grünkern) grains: Methodological aspects and the case of early La Tène Hochdorf |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |volume=118|doi=10.1016/j.jas.2020.105143 |s2cid=218786504 |doi-access=free }} In some countries, spelt may be considered a health food; for example, in Australia it is grown organically for the health food market.Neeson, R., et al. "[https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/optimising-the-quality-and-yield-of-spelt-under-organic-productio Optimising the quality and yield of spelt under organic production in SE Australia]". 14th Australian Agronomy Conference. The Regional Institute, 2008. Dutch jenever makers sometimes distil with spelt,{{cite book |last=Peragine |first=John N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D622JFIFJxcC&pg=PA128 |title=The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Hops, Malts, and Brewing Herbs |page=128 |publisher=Atlantic Publishing Company |date=30 November 2010 |access-date=1 September 2012 |isbn=9781601383532}} while beer brewed from spelt exists in Bavaria{{cite web |title=Dinkelbier |url=http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Dinkelbier.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182624/http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Dinkelbier.html |archive-date=2016-03-03 |website=German Beer Institute}} and Belgium.{{cite web |title=Den Mulder |language=nl |url=http://huisbrouwerijdentseut.weebly.com/onze-bieren.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017053811/http://huisbrouwerijdentseut.weebly.com/onze-bieren.html |archive-date=2015-10-17 |website=Huisbrouwerij Den Tseut |location=Oosteeklo}}

File:05215 Spelt bread, Sanok.JPG|Wholegrain spelt bread from Poland

• Khorasan wheat
• Sorghum bicolor

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Category:Plants described in 1753

Category:Wheat

Category:Wheat cultivars