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Competence in ancient grain

emmer

EMMER (lat. Triticum dicoccum) – the grain of ancient Egypt!

Emmer had been forgotten for a long time, but has recently attracted attention again. And rightly so! In our experience, this ancient grain is also an excellent choice for organic farming. Emmer can be sown both in autumn and spring, it is robust and about as productive as spelt.

Genetically, emmer is a very old, husked form of wheat, since it has only the A and B genome (tetraploid, 28 chromosomes). Morphologically, it can differ significantly: there are emmer varieties with black, light yellow or brownish ears – but there is no systematic difference between their grains.

The crop has its origins in the so-called Fertile Crescent region with finds dating back approx. 10,000 years. By the Bronze Age, emmer had spread all over Europe and the Middle East. In ancient times Emmer was therefore of great importance in Greece and in Mesopotamia. It probably had its heyday and greatest economic relevance in Egypt - which is why Triticum dicoccum is also known as the “grain of the Pharaohs”. Its cultivation declined in the Roman era and during the Middle Ages. The Egyptians and Romans used emmer mainly for porridge and beer. The increasing popularity of bread was one of the reasons why emmer was superseded by common wheat.

Since emmer resembles durum wheat in its processing properties, it is perfect for making pasta. This was never forgotten, especially in Italy, where the word “farro” is used for both spelt and emmer. However, Italian “farro” pasta is usually made from emmer. Emmer is quite unique in terms of taste, which is particularly noticeable in bread. The very aromatic and slightly grey bread is regarded as a culinary delicacy. Tr. dicoccum is very suitable as a “rice” dish (polished grain) and is used in soups or salads, especially in Italy. Unlike spelt and einkorn “rice”, emmer is firm to the bite and has a stronger and pithier aroma. In Germany and Italy, speciality breweries now use emmer malt again for beer production.

Our emmer products:

  • Organic emmer, de-hulled, 98% purity, for milling / flour production. Packaging: in bulk or in big bags.
  • Organic emmer, de-hulled and polished, 99.8% purity, for cooking “like rice". Packaging: 25 kg bags or big bags.