Spelt is a crude grain used for breads. It may have originated either in a region equivalent to present day Iran or in part of south eastern Europe. Like einkorn and emmer, spelt is characterized as a "covered wheat" , since the kernels do not thresh free of the glumes or the lemma and palea when harvested. The spelt spikelets contain two well developed kernels. When husked it shows a long, grey grain like a cross between rice and barley. During the Bronze Age (ca. 4,000-1,000 BC), spelt was distributed from the Near East through the Balkans, Europe and Transcaucasia. References to spelt are found in the Bible (Exodus 9:30, Isaiah 28:25, and Ezekiel 4:9) and spelt is thought to have been handed to Roman citizens in 59 BC after food riots as part of the creation of a welfare system. Spelt production continues to be a major cereal crop in isolated regions throughout south eastern Europe, primarily in Germany and Switzerland.
Grains can be used to make an easily-digestible, nutty-flavoured flour or used like pearl barley or rice in stews or alongside other dishes. Good for people with wheat intolerance.
