Top 30 Amazing Facts About Wheat | Amazing Facts 4U
- Wheat is a member of the grass family called Poaceae that produces a dry, one-seeded fruit commonly called a kernel.
- More than 17,000 years ago, humans gathered the seeds of plants and ate them. After rubbing off the husks, early people simply chewed the kernels.
- Wheat originated in the “cradle of civilization” in the Tigris and Euphrates river valley, near what is now Iraq.
- The Roman goddess, Ceres, who was deemed protector of the grain, gave grains their common name today – “cereal.”
- Currently wheat is grown on over 540 million acres worldwide which is more than any other crop. One acre of wheat yields an average of around 40 bushels of wheat.
- This plant is highly adaptable crop and can grow almost anywhere, From sea level to Tibet (4,000 meters above sea level) and from equator to near arctic regions.
- Wheat was first planted in the United States in 1777 as a hobby crop.
- There are over 30 000 varieties of wheat that were produced via cross breeding of six basic types of the plant.
- Wheat usually reaches 2 to 4 feet in height. Wheat is annual plant, which means that it finishes its life cycle in one year.
- It develops head on a top of the stem which contains around 50 kernels. Color of the kernel depends on the variety of wheat. It can be red, blue, purple, brown or white.
- All types of wheat can be divided in two major groups: spring and winter wheat. Spring wheat is planted during the spring and harvested during the summer. Winter wheat is planted at autumn and harvested during the spring.
- Wheat is ready for harvest when it becomes golden in color and completely dried out.
- Machine (called combine) removes the heads from the stem and separates kernels from the rest of the inedible plant material.
- Kernel consists of 3 parts: bran (outer layer), endosperm (nutritive matter used for development of embryo) and germ (embryo).
- Whole wheat flour is produced by grinding of whole kernels (All parts). Production of white flour requires removal of the bran and germ. This type of flour contains less minerals, vitamins and fibers compared to the whole-wheat flour.
- Wheat is the primary grain used in U.S. grain products. About 75% of all U.S. grain products are made from wheat flour.
- One bushel of wheat contains approximately one million individual kernels.
- One bushel of wheat yields roughly 27 kilograms of whole wheat flour or 19 kilograms of white flour enough for around 73 loaves of bread or 210 servings of spaghetti.
- It is advised not to refrigerate any bread product as they go stale up to 6 times faster in the refrigerator. Leave them at room temperature or freeze them.
- More types of foods are made with wheat than with any other cereal grain.
- In fact, world trade in wheat is larger than for all other crops combined.
- Kansas is on average the largest wheat producing state in the U.S. It is often referred to as “Wheat State”.
- Wheat is rich source of proteins, sugar (in the form of starch), vitamins of the B group and minerals such as iron, manganese, magnesium and zinc.
- Wheat is used for the production of bread, pasta, cookies, breakfast cereals and fermented beverages.
- 1% of human population cannot consume wheat-based products due to celiac disease resulting from intolerance to the wheat protein called gluten.
- Besides staple food, wheat is used in medical swabs, straw, particle board.
- Amazingly wheat starch is used in the paper industry and for the production of glue, adhesives, textile, plastic and building materials.
- Straws of wheat can be used for roofing, manufacture of hats and baskets.
- Hair conditioners, body lotions and lip balms often contain wheat proteins.
- Wheat is used in the production of alcoholic beverages such as vodka, gin and whiskey. In fact, Ethanol produced from the wheat can be used as bio-fuel.
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