Cereal

Cereal crops are mostly grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (actually a fruit called a grain). Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities worldwide than any other type of crop and provide more calories to the human race. In some developing nations, cereal grains constitute practically the entire diet of common folk. In developed nations, cereal consumption is more moderate but still substantial. The word cereal has its origin in the goddess of grain, Ceres. Staple food grains are often called corn.

The cereal crops are (in approximate order of greatest annual production):

• wheat, the primary cereal of temperate regions
• rice, the primary cereal of tropical regions
• maize, a staple food of peoples in North America, South America, and Africa and of livestock worldwide
• the millets, a group of similar but distinct cereals that form an important staple food in Asia and Africa.
• sorghum, important staple food in Asia and Africa and popular worldwide for livestock
• rye and triticale, important in cold climates
• oats, formerly the staple food of Scotland and popular worldwide for livestock
• barley, grown for malting and livestock on land too poor for wheat
• teff, popular in Ethiopia but scarcely known elsewhere
• wild rice, grown in small amounts in the USA

In addition, several non-grasses are grown for their seeds. These pseudocereals include (in no particular order):

• buckwheat
• amaranth
• quinoa
• spelt

Cereal grains supply most of their calories as starch. They are also a significant source of protein, though the amino acid balance is not optimal. Whole grains (see below) are good sources of dietary fiber, essential fatty acids, and other important nutrients.

Rice is eaten as cooked entire grains, although rice flour is also produced. Oats are rolled, ground, or cut into bits (steel-cut oats) and cooked into porridge. Most other cereals are ground into flour or meal, that is milled. The outer layers of bran and germ are removed (see grain (fruit) and seed). This lessens the nutritional value but makes the grain more appealing to many palates. Health-conscious people tend to prefer whole grains, which are not milled. Overconsumption of milled cereals is sometimes blamed for obesity. Milled grains do keep better because the outer layers of the grains are rich in rancidity-prone fats. The waste from milling is sometimes mixed into a prepared animal feed.

Once (optionally) milled and ground, the resulting flour is made into bread, pasta, desserts, dumplings, and many other products. Besides cereals, flour is sometimes made from potatoes and chestnuts.

In American English, cold breakfast cereals and porridge are called simply cereal.

See also: Zadok scale