6: Wheat

Wheat is a grass grain that produces a seed that we can eat, the wheat grain. Wheat was one of the first grains to be cultivated and today is the mostly widely grown grain in the world. It grows very well in Australia in large flat areas with warm weather and sufficient rainfall. This is mostly in the South East and South West of Australia. Wheat is also grown in the USA, Canada, France, Iran and the Soviet Union.

Wheat is very popular as it can be made into so many different products. This is a staple food in so many countries, including Australia and the USA.

All grains need some processing before they can be eaten by humans. Wheat is usually milled to make flour. Wholemeal flour is produced by milling wholegrains to a finer texture. White flour is produced by milling the grain to remove the bran and germ. The wheat germ and wheat bran are both kept and used in different products. Flour can be used in cakes, biscuits, muffins, scones, pancakes and crackers.

In ancient times, white flour was highly prized because it was expensive to produce. This meant that mostly only wealthy people could afford to use it for their bread making, so it became prestigious to eat white bread. People with less money usually ate bread made from the whole grain, which was actually healthier, because it contained so much fibre. Today, wholegrain bread and bread made from white flour are much the same in price. In more recent times, more rustic styles of bread have become popular such as sourdoughs and wood fired breads. As we know it is important to eat foods that are high in fibre, more people are including more wholegrain bread in their diet.

Wheat is rich in gluten which helps bread to rise. Many types of bread have wheat as their main grain, but it may also be combined with other grains such as rye, maize or barley. Wheat remains the ingredient in the biggest proportion as it makes such good quality bread. Wheat flour is also used to make noodles and pasta and is also widely used in breakfast cereals and cereal snack bars.