Emmer

Emmer is a tall annual grass with bearded, flattened ears that carry paired spikelets, each usually holding two grains. The kernels are elongated, reddish-brown to amber and remain enclosed in husks after harvest, so the grain must be dehulled or pearled before cooking. Cooked emmer has a firm, chewy texture and a nutty, slightly earthy taste with hints of sweetness. It is sold as whole hulled berries, semi-pearled or pearled farro, cracked grain and flour. The flour makes dense, aromatic breads because its gluten is moderate in strength. Emmer grows well on poor soils and in cool, damp climates, which helped it survive in mountain regions long after higher-yielding wheats took over.

Emmer is a tetraploid wheat that arose from natural hybridization between a wild wheat relative and a goat grass, and it was domesticated from wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides) in the Fertile Crescent, probably more than 10,000 years ago. Wild emmer still grows in the hills of the Levant and southeastern Anatolia. The English word emmer is borrowed from German and Dutch, where the grain has long carried the same name. In Italy the grain is called farro, from Latin far, the ancient word for hulled wheat, which also gives us the English word farina.

Emmer was the principal wheat of the ancient world for many thousands of years. Remains from Jericho, Catal Hoyuk and early settlements across the Near East show it was a founder crop, and it spread into Egypt, where it was the main grain used for bread and beer in the Old Kingdom. Wall paintings and tomb finds confirm its importance in pharaonic Egypt.

In Rome, far was the sacred grain used in offerings and in the ceremonial confarreatio marriage rite, and soldiers received rations of boiled and roasted farro as part of their diet. Across Europe emmer was grown from the Neolithic through the Iron Age, but over time free-threshing bread wheat replaced it because it was easier to thresh and gave better loaves.

Emmer survived in remote regions, notably the Garfagnana in Tuscany, parts of Ethiopia, the Caucasus, the Swabian Alps, Switzerland and southern India, where it is known as khapli or samba wheat. In the late twentieth century Italian producers revived farro and gave it protected geographic recognition in places, and it has since become a trendy ingredient in salads and soups worldwide. Traditional growing and local landraces still matter in Ethiopia and India, where emmer remains part of everyday food culture.

Pearled or semi-pearled emmer is simmered for 20 to 40 minutes and served in soups such as Tuscan farro soup, in salads, risottos and grain bowls. Whole emmer berries need longer cooking or overnight soaking. Emmer flour is used for rustic breads, pasta, flatbreads and biscuits, and in India khapli wheat is made into chapatis. Brewers sometimes use emmer in specialty beers. Traditional dishes include porridges, baked puddings and hearty stews. Straw from emmer was historically valued for thatching and animal bedding, and the grain was used as animal feed on small farms.

Emmer is a whole grain that provides fiber, protein, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins, and some varieties are higher in protein and certain minerals than modern wheat. Studies on its antioxidant content and glycemic response are interesting but modest in size, and results vary by variety and processing. Whole grains in general are associated with better digestive and cardiovascular health. Emmer is not a low-carbohydrate food, and it should not be assumed to be better tolerated by people with gluten-related conditions.