An ancient 'superfood' sent from heaven
Barley is one of the world's most important grain crops. It was first domesticated as early as 10,000 years ago in Southwest Asia. As cultivation spread throughout Eurasia, barley became a staple of the Greeks and Romans. By the Middle Ages, most of Europe had been introduced to this versatile and nutritious foodstuff. Today, barley production accounts for most of the world's animal fodder. It's also used in the production of beer and as a component in breads, soups, stews, and health products.
So, what's the big deal behind barley? Click through and digest these facts.
Did you know that barley was one of the world's first cultivated grains, domesticated around 8000 BCE? This makes barley a founder crop—one of eight plant species that were harvested by early Neolithic farming communities in Southwest Asia.
By around 5000 BCE, barley was being cultivated in Egypt. Its ubiquity was reflected by the fact that grain was a typical motif found in many private tombs during this period.
Further archaeological evidence confirms that by 2350 BCE barley was being cultivated in Mesopotamia, a fact illustrated by this tablet fragment detailing trades of land for baskets of barley.
Besides its cultivation as a staple food, barley's edible grain served as animal fodder. It also provided a source of malt for alcoholic beverages, especially beer. This cueneiform tablet dated back to 2342 BCE depicts beer allocation.
Barley is mentioned at least 35 times in the Bible. In this scene from the Old Testament, Ruth, a Moabite woman who married an Israelite, is seen gleaning barley in a field after the main crop has been gathered.
The "Feeding of the 5,000" is also known as the "miracle of the five loaves and two fish," because the Gospel of John reports that five barley loaves and two small fish supplied by a boy were used by Jesus to feed a multitude.
By the Middle Ages, barley was being used for the preparation of a decoction, a concentrated liquor to treat respiratory and urinary infections.
In medieval Europe, bread made from barley and rye was regarded as being fit for consumption only by peasants. Wheat products were consumed by the upper classes.
Barley was already the chief bread plant of the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans by the time it began to be cultivated in Western Europe.
Throughout Europe in the 19th century, potatoes largely replaced barley as a principal crop, though it was still harvested extensively as a feed grain. Today, 70% of barley production is used as animal fodder globally.
Barley remains one of the world's most important crops (it's the fourth largest grain crop globally, after wheat, rice, and corn). Barley is also adaptable to a greater range of climates than any other cereal.
Naturally high in protein, fiber, and a variety of essential minerals, barley flakes can be eaten alone or mixed with other ingredients as a wholesome breakfast.
Barley water evolved from the aforementioned medieval decoction. It contains antioxidants and dietary fibers that can help reduce high blood sugar levels and chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
In biblical times, a shekel referred to any of several ancient units of weight or of currency. The first recorded usage is from Mesopotamia around 3000 BCE. Initially, it may have referred to a weight of barley, about 180 grams.
Loaves made of barley feature in the story of the feeding of the 500. Today, however, barley flour is commonly blended (in a smaller proportion) with wheat flour to make conventional breadmaking flour.
Barley flour is lower in calories than wheat flour, and so serves as an ideal base ingredient when baking cookies.
Use pearl barley (dehulled barley that has been steam-processed further to remove the bran) for use in healthful, hearty, and appetizing winter soups.
Similarly, warm pearl barley makes a wonderful salad base. Mix it in with chicken, assorted vegetables, and crown with a sprig of parsley.
Barley sugar gained popularity as far back as the 17th century, when a recipe for the candy appeared in France. These boiled sweets are a favorite travel companion, having been proven to relieve .
See also: Discover the surprising uses of licorice
Barley tea is popular in China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Taiwan. Rich in antioxidants, this toasty and somewhat bitter infusion can help relieve the painful symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux disease.
In Tibet—historically an independent center of domestication for cultivated barley—they still prepare tsampa, a Himalayan staple foodstuff made from roasted barley flour.
In the United States, the 18th Amendment's prohibition on alcoho1, which took effect at midnight on January 16, 1920, resulted in John Barleycorn's "funeral," staged by Boston prohibitionists in front of the city's Morgan Memorial Church of All Nations.
In the past, barley grains were used as units of measurement in England. Usually, three or four barleycorns represented an inch. By the 19th century, this novel and antiquated method of evaluation had been consigned to the grain silo.
Medieval Europe also saw barley's questionable use in justice, specifically through alphitomancy—a form of divination involving barley cakes or loaves of barley bread—and corsned, a type of trial by ordeal that consisted of a suspected person eating a piece of barley bread. If innocent, the person would swallow freely. If guilty, the bread would produce convulsions, cause loss of color, and induce choking.
"John Barleycorn" is the personification of barley and of the alcoholic beverages made from it. The first mention of John Barleycorn as a character was in London in 1624. He's pictured enjoying a drink with "Miss Hop."
As previously indicated, barley is primarily grown as animal fodder and as a source of malt for alcoholic beverages, especially beer. But this versatile cereal plant has a whole range of other uses.
Barley porridge works as a breakfast flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar and garnished with golden raisins and chopped toasted walnut. Or it can be served as a lunch with sliced mushrooms, scallions, and red and green peppers.
The key grain used in brewing Western-style beers is barley. In fact, around 30% of barley production globally provides a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled beverages.
For whisky production, distillers need a barley that is easily malted. For this they use two-row to six-row barley, a reference to barley strains with low nitrogen content and a more consistent grain size. Two-row barley is also traditionally used in English ale-style beers.
Barely wine is in fact an ale, and a pretty strong one too, typically reaching an alcohol strength of 6% to 12% by volume. The first beer to be marketed as barley wine was Bass No. 1 Ale in England, around 1870.
What's the big deal behind barley?
The production accounts for most of the world's animal fodder
FOOD Grain crops
Barley is one of the world's most important grain crops. It was first domesticated as early as 10,000 years ago in Southwest Asia. As cultivation spread throughout Eurasia, barley became a staple of the Greeks and Romans. By the Middle Ages, most of Europe had been introduced to this versatile and nutritious foodstuff. Barley it's also used in the production of beer and as a component in breads, soups, stews, and health products.
So, what's the big deal behind barley? Click through and digest these facts.