Grain
Wheat
Wheat is the world's dominant bread cereal, milled into flours, cracked into bulgur, roasted green as freekeh, and rolled into couscous granules from semolina. Hard and soft classes, plus durum, spelt-adjacent landraces, and heritage wheats, shape gluten strength, colour, and flavour. From flatbreads and pasta to steamed couscous and porridge, wheat underpins global staple cookery. Bran, germ, and endosperm each contribute differently when kept whole or separated in milling.
Also known as: Blé, Grano, Gehun
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Breeds, cuts & preparations
Variety
Source
Provenance
Preparation
CommonCharacteristic
Grading systems
Canada — CWRS No. 1
CWRS No. 1
Canada — CWRS No. 2
CWRS No. 2
United States — USDA
No. 1 · No. 2
History
Early domestication of wheat in the Fertile Crescent founded settled grain agriculture.
Wheat spread across Europe, North Africa, and Asia as a principal bread and porridge cereal.
Industrial roller milling and prairie expansion transformed wheat into a global commodity flour crop.
Green Revolution semi-dwarf wheats raised yields and reshaped international grain trade.