Grain
Secale cereale
A tier
Secale cereale is cultivated rye—the cold-hardy cereal behind dense breads, crispbreads, whiskey, and kvass. Kernels are slender and grey-green to brown; flavour is earthy, tangy, and aromatic in a way wheat never matches. Flour carries less gluten strength than wheat but ferments beautifully in sourdough. Species label covers winter and spring types and named cultivars. Mill for bread flour or use whole berries in porridge and salads. Ergot vigilance matters in poorly cleaned grain historically.
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History
Rye spread as a secondary cereal from Near Eastern and European cultivation zones.
Northern European diets leaned on Secale cereale where wheat struggled.
Linnaean botany fixed S. cereale as cultivated rye.
Artisan bread and whiskey revivals kept rye culturally central.