elastic paste that could be filled with tiny
bubbles and baked into tender raised breads.
Around the same time, the inhabitants of
tropical and semitropical Asia domesticated
rice, with its special ability to grow in wet,
hot growing conditions. Somewhat later in
warm central and South America arose maize,
or corn, whose plants and kernels dwarf those
of the other cereals.
Grain Structure
and Composition
The edible portion of the cereal plant,
commonly called the grain or kernel, is
technically a complete fruit whose ovary-
derived layer is very thin and dry. Three of the
cereals — barley, oats, and rice — bear fruits
that are covered by small, tough, leaf-like
structures that fuse to form the husk or hull.
Bread and durum wheats, rye, and maize bear
naked fruits and don’t have to be husked