germinate, and that become sweet with sugars.
Its production and qualities are described
below (pp. 679, 743).
Rye
Rye apparently arose in southwest Asia,
migrated with domesticated wheat and barley
as a weed in the crops of early farmers,
reached the coast of the Baltic Sea around
2000 BCE, grew better than the other cereals in
the typically poor, acid soil and cool, moist
climate, and was domesticated around 1000
BCE. It’s exceptionally hardy, and is grown as
far north as the Arctic Circle and as high as
12,000 feet/4,000 meters. Up through the last
century it was the predominant bread grain for
the poor of northern Europe, and even today
the taste for rye persists, especially in
Scandinavia and eastern Europe. Poland,
Germany, and Russia are the leading
producers. In Germany, wheat production