Einkorn Wheat (Farro Monococco)

The small spelled is one of the first cultivated forms of wheat, grains of it have been found in Epipaleolithic localities of the Fertile Crescent. The cultivation of Triticum monococcum in the Middle East began to decline in favor of spelled around 2000 BC. Its cultivation was never extensive in Italy, southern France and Spain, it continued to be cultivated in some areas of northern Europe during the Middle Ages and until the early years of the 20th century.

It is a short variety of wild wheat, generally less than 70 cm tall, and not very generous in producing edible grains. The main difference between wild and cultivated Triticum monococcum is the way the seeds are dispersed. In the wild variety the seed container breaks and the seeds scatter on the ground. This facilitates a subsequent grain harvest. Human intervention makes the difference. Harvesting small spelled with intact containers was easier for primitive growers. Over time and through selection, conscious or otherwise, man's preferences for intact seed containers have created the domesticated variety, which also has slightly larger grains than those of the wild Triticum monococcum. The small spelled requires sowing and harvesting by man to perpetuate its existence.