Spelt Explained

Spelt (Triticum spelta), also known as dinkel wheat is a species of wheat. It is a relict crop, eaten in Central Europe and northern Spain. It is high in protein and may be considered a health food.

Spelt was cultivated from the Neolithic period onwards. It was a staple food in parts of Europe from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. It is used in baking, and is made into bread, pasta, and beer.

It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the closely related species common wheat (T. aestivum), in which case its botanical name is considered to be Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta. It is a hexaploid, most likely a hybrid of wheat and emmer.

Naming

Especially in the context of descriptions of ancient cultures, the English word spelt has sometimes been used to refer to 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 Italian: farro grande, 'large farro',[1] emmer as Italian: farro medio, ('medium farro'),[1] and einkorn as Italian: farro piccolo, 'little farro'[2]), 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 ([zeiá]) or is either uncertain or vague, and has been argued to denote einkorn[3] or emmer rather than spelt. Likewise, the ancient Roman grain denoted by the Latin word , although often translated as 'spelt', was in fact emmer.[4] 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.[5]

Description

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.[6]

Evolution

Hybridisation and polyploidy

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.[7] [8] The spelt genome continues to influence the breeding of modern hexaploid bread wheat through recent hybridisation.[9]

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.[10] is an effector-triggered resistance gene for powdery mildew.[11]

History

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.[12] Remains of spelt have been found in Denmark, Germany, and Poland from the later Neolithic (dating from 2500–1700 BCE).[12] [13] 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 become widespread in the south of Britain.[12] 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.[14]

In the Middle Ages, spelt was cultivated in parts of Switzerland, Tyrol, Germany, northern France and the southern Low Countries.[15] Spelt became a major crop in Europe in the 9th century CE, possibly because it is husked, unlike other grains, and therefore more adaptable to cold climates and is more suitable for storage.[16]

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.[17] Since the beginning of the 21st century, spelt has become a common wheat substitute for making artisanal loaves of bread, pasta, and flakes.[18] By 2014, the grain was popular in the UK with the crop being grown there as well as in Kazakhstan and Ukraine, with shortages reported.[19]

Nutrition

A 100g reference serving of uncooked spelt provides 340order=flipNaNorder=flip 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,[20] such as celiac disease,[21] non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergy. In comparison to hard red winter wheat, spelt has a more soluble protein matrix characterized by a higher gliadin:glutenin ratio.[22] [23]

Products

In Germany and Austria, spelt loaves and rolls (dinkelbrot) are widely available in bakeries.[24] The unripe spelt grains are dried and eaten as grünkern ("green grain").[25]

In some countries, spelt may be considered a health food; for example, in Australia it is grown organically for the health food market.[26]

Dutch jenever makers sometimes distil with spelt,[27] while beer brewed from spelt exists in Bavaria[28] and Belgium.[29]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: December 23, 2017 . Farro in Italy . Markus . Buerli . 2006 . The Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species . Bioversity International . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171224101159/https://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/_migrated/uploads/tx_news/Farro_in_Italy_1266.pdf . 24 December 2017.
  2. News: Cornish . Richard . What is the difference between farro, spelt and freekeh? . . February 18, 2014 . subscription.
  3. Book: Austin, Benjamin M. . Plant Metaphors in the Old Greek of Isaiah . 2019 . 191 . SBL Press . 9780884142911.
  4. Thompson . D'Arcy W. . D'Arcy Thompson . Wheat in Antiquity . 1946 . . 60 . 3 . 120–122 . 10.1017/S0009840X00090387 . 703297 . 163645029.
  5. Web site: Nesbitt . Mark . Wheat Evolution: Integrating Archaeological and Biological Evidence . 2001 . .
  6. Web site: World Flora Online . 2024 . Triticum spelta L. . 1 November 2024 .
  7. Blatter . R.H. . Jacomet . S. . Schlumbaum . A. . About the Origin of European Spelt (Triticum spelta L.): Allelic Differentiation of the HMW Glutenin B1-1 and A1-2 Subunit Genes . . January 2004 . 108 . 2 . 360–367 . 10.1007/s00122-003-1441-7 . 14564390 . 26586515 .
  8. De Oliveira . Romain . Rimbert . Hélène . Balfourier . François . Kitt . Jonathan . Dynomant . Emeric . Vrána . Jan . Doležel . Jaroslav . Cattonaro . Federica . Paux . Etienne . Choulet . Frédéric . 5 . Structural Variations Affecting Genes and Transposable Elements of Chromosome 3B in Wheats . . 18 August 2020 . 11 . 891 . 10.3389/fgene.2020.00891 . 33014014 . 7461782 . free.
  9. Wang . Yongfa . Wang . Zihao . Chen . Yongming . Lan . Tianyu . Wang . Xiaobo . Liu . Gang . Xin . Mingming . Hu . Zhaorong . Yao . Yingyin . Ni . Zhongfu . Sun . Qixin . Guo . Weilong . Peng . Huiru . 5 . Genomic insights into the origin and evolution of spelt (Triticum spelta L.) as a valuable gene pool for modern wheat breeding . Plant Communications . 5 . 5 . 2024 . 38491771 . 11121738 . 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100883 . free . 100883. 2024PlCom...500883W .
  10. Xie . Quan . Mayes . Sean . Sparkes . Debbie L. . Spelt as a Genetic Resource for Yield Component Improvement in Bread Wheat . Crop Science . 55 . 6 . 2015 . 0011-183X . 10.2135/cropsci2014.12.0842 . 2753–2765.
  11. 1 . 2019 . Cowger . Christina . Brown . James . 57 . 253–277 . . Durability of Quantitative Resistance in Crops: Greater Than We Know? . . 190533925 . 10.1146/annurev-phyto-082718-100016 . 31206351 .
  12. Book: Cubadda . Raimondo . Marconi . Emanuele . Spelt Wheat . Belton, Peter S. . Taylor, John R.N. . Spelt Wheat in Pseudocereals and Less Common Cereals: Grain Properties and Utilization Potential . 2002 . Springer . 978-3540429395 . 154.
  13. Akeret . Örni . Plant Remains From a Bell Beaker Site in Switzerland, and the Beginnings of Triticum spelta (spelt) Cultivation in Europe . Vegetation History and Archaeobotany . April 6, 2005 . 14 . 4 . 279–286 . 10.1007/s00334-005-0071-1 . 2005VegHA..14..279A . https://archive.today/20121227183305/http://china.springerlink.com/content/j0453274uw744tw9/?p=9a73f75a245d448a844fbf12f99e7740&pi=0 . 2012-12-27 . live .
  14. Book: Albarella, Umberto . The end of the Sheep Age: people and animals in the Late Iron Age . Moore, Elizabeth . Moore, Tom . The Late Iron Age in Britain and beyond . January 2007 . Oxbow Books . Oxford . 389–402 . 10.13140/RG.2.1.1272.5208 .
  15. Bakels . Corrie C. . 2005-06-21 . Crops produced in the southern Netherlands and northern France during the early medieval period: a comparison . Vegetation History and Archaeobotany . 14 . 4 . 394–399 . 10.1007/s00334-005-0067-x . 2005VegHA..14..394B . 0939-6314.
  16. Newfield, Timothy P. (2013), "The Contours, Frequency and Causation of Subsistence Crises in Carolingian Europe (750-950 CE)" in Crisis Alimentarian en la Edad Media, Lleida, Spain: Universidad de Lleida, p. 170
  17. Sugár . Eszter . Fodor . Nándor . Sándor . Renáta . Bónis . Péter . Vida . Gyula . Árendás . Tamás . Spelt Wheat: An Alternative for Sustainable Plant Production at Low N-Levels . Sustainability. 27 November 2019 . 11 . 23 . 6726 . 10.3390/su11236726 . free.
  18. Web site: Spelt flour 'wonder grain' set for a price hike as supplies run low. Smithers . Rebecca . . 15 May 2014 . 30 January 2017.
  19. News: Spelt shortage . . 11 May 2014 . subscription. 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 . 2022-05-24 . live.
  20. Tovoli F. . Masi C. . Guidetti E. . etal . Clinical and Diagnostic Aspects of Gluten Related Disorders . World Journal of Clinical Cases. 3 . 3 . 275–284 . March 16, 2015 . 25789300 . 4360499 . 10.12998/wjcc.v3.i3.275 . free .
  21. European Food Research and Technology. 2001. 213. 3. 183–186. Comparative Investigations of Gluten Proteins from Different Wheat Species. Wieser H.. 10.1007/s002170100365. 84523520.
  22. Schober, T.J. . Bean, S.R. . Kuhn, M. . 2006 . Gluten Proteins from Spelt (Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta) Cultivars: A Rheological and Size-Exclusion High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Study . Journal of Cereal Science . 44 . 2 . 161–173 . pdf . 21 November 2013 . 10.1016/j.jcs.2006.05.007 . 31 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230531185928/https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/8787/PDF . dead .
  23. Kohajdová, Z. . Karovičová, J. . 2008 . Nutritional Value and Baking Applications of Spelt Wheat . Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Technologia Alimentaria. 7 . 3 . 5–14 . 21 November 2013.
  24. Book: Nesbitt . Mark . The Cultural History of Plants . 2004 . Routledge . 0-203-02090-1 . 45–61 . Grains.
  25. Berihuete-Azorín . Marian . Stika . Hans-Peter . Hallama . Moritz . Valamoti . Soultana Maria . April 17, 2020 . Distinguishing ripe spelt from processed green spelt (Grünkern) grains: Methodological aspects and the case of early La Tène Hochdorf . Journal of Archaeological Science . 118. 10.1016/j.jas.2020.105143 . 218786504 . free .
  26. Neeson, R., et al. "Optimising the quality and yield of spelt under organic production in SE Australia". 14th Australian Agronomy Conference. The Regional Institute, 2008.
  27. Book: Peragine, John N. . The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Hops, Malts, and Brewing Herbs . 128 . Atlantic Publishing Company . 30 November 2010 . 1 September 2012 . 9781601383532.
  28. Web site: Dinkelbier . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182624/http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Dinkelbier.html . 2016-03-03 . German Beer Institute.
  29. Web site: Den Mulder . nl . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151017053811/http://huisbrouwerijdentseut.weebly.com/onze-bieren.html . 2015-10-17 . Huisbrouwerij Den Tseut . Oosteeklo.

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