The first of the ‘ancient grains’ that we will be covering is einkorn (Triticum monococcum). Einkorn meaning “one grain” in German, is one of the earliest predecessors of today’s modern wheats. It was first domesticated from wild stock (Triticum boeoticum)during the Stone Age, 10 - 12 thousand years ago, in what is today, Turkey. Einkorn is a ‘diploid, hulled wheat’. By diploid we mean that its genome contains two sets of chromosomes (labeled A(m) in this case). As a point of reference human cells are considered diploid in that they contain one set of chromosomes from each parent (In contrast, sperm and egg cells are haploid in that they contain only one set. When the sperm and egg cell fuse they create a diploid cell containing chromosomes from both parents). It was originally thought that Einkorn was the contributor of the A chromosome to the polypoid wheat (Emmer, spelt, and common wheat). It is now assumed that that the A chromosome came from another wild grass of the region (T. uratu – labeled A(u)).




Being a ‘hulled’ wheat means that einkorn is not free threshing. This means that the hull remains intact around the kernel after threshing. Today’s modern wheats (the notable exception is spelt) are all free threshing eliminating a lot of the bulk material that must be removed and handled prior to milling. This trait of ‘hulled’ vs ‘free threshing’ will be important evolutionary trend as we move from the ancient grains to the modern grains.



Historically einkorn has been cultivated in cool climates on marginal land throughout the Middle East and SW Europe. There have been ‘confirmed’ finds of the wild form of einkorn (T boeoticum) dating back to 10,000 years to the stone age. Around this time cultivated einkorn appears and was widely grown in the region between 10,000 to 4000BC. After 4000BC there begins a shift to cultivating another early grain: emmer (Bronze Age).



One of the principle distinguishing characteristics of a cultivated grain versus a wild form is the brittleness of the rachis – the thin tissue that connects the grain to the wheat head. Wild forms of grain have a brittle rachis that breaks (‘disarticulates’ in botanical terms) scattering the grain on the ground. The rachis of the cultivated form of einkorn is tougher, allowing the grains to remain intact until the plant can be harvested. This is a key evolution which allowed for the birth of agriculture. If you think about it, a plant that drops all its seeds on the ground at maturity is of little use to humans who wish to eat those seeds (kernels). But if the kernels remain on the plant until after the plants are harvested, allowing for easier accumulation of those kernels, suddenly they become a very useful food source.



One of the characteristics that shows promise for einkorn in modern times is it ability to out perform (agronomically) the modern wheats under marginal growing conditions. These might include poor soil, lack of moisture, and limited availability of crop inputs (fertilizer, insecticide, etc). Einkorn shows good frost resistance, rust resistance, and it can be grown on poor, sandy, chalky soils where hexaploid (modern) wheats fail.



In terms of composition, einkorn is described as “a soft wheat with a high protein content, yellow endosperm and poor rheological properties.” (Specialty Grains for Food and Feed, 2005 – American Assoc. of Cereal Chemists). Einkorn appears to be lower in terms of total dietary fiber than modern wheats. The mineral content, on the other hand, appears to be superior, however, mineral content is directly related to the mineral composition of the soil and is also a function of the climate and production practices.



The protein content of einkorn tends to be quite high and, as with all wheats, is often deficient in lysine. The protein composition of a wheat destined for use in a bakery setting is of particular importance. For a baker, the proteins of concern are the gluten protein fractions: the high and low molecular weight glutinen subunits and the gliadins. The suitability of a flour from a grain for baking is a direct function of variations in the structure, amounts and proportions of the various gluten proteins. The gliadins contribute gluten viscosity while the glutinens contribute strength and elasticity. Both the gliadins and glutinens of einkorn differ markedly from other wheats, including emmer, spelt, and common wheat. An analysis of the gliadin-to-glutinen for einkorn was 2:1 where it is close to 1:1 with common wheat. This would indicate that doughs made from einkorn flour would tend to be very slack and extensible, while lacking in the elastic quality found in modern wheat flours.



This is an important point. Much is made of protein content however, a more elusive subject is protein quality. Quality, of course, is relative to what you are making. If you are making bread, you certainly need a minimum threshold of protein content, however you also need a proper balance between the proteins that provide elasticity and extensibility. Einkorn is a perfect demonstration of this point. Here we have a grain that is high in protein but the balance of gliadin to glutinen is not particularly suitable for baking bread (as we have become accustomed to): it is too extensible. The alveograph is a great tool for examining the ratio of extensibility to elasticity.



Einkorn must be de-hulled prior to milling. Dehulling losses tend to be higher in einkorn than in the other ‘covered wheat’ due to the narrowness of the kernel, their small size, and softness which causes them to break more frequently. Upon de-hulling the kernels are, on average, smaller in kernel weight and test weight than common wheat thus indicating that yields are significantly reduced over common wheat. The kernels also tend to be very soft: softer than the soft wheats under cultivation today. Perhaps owing to this softness, the milling yields are comparable that that of soft wheats at almost 71% average yield and the particles of the finished flour tend to be quite fine.



As stated earlier, the dough tends to be very sticky and the loaf volume tends to be low. The crumb is distinctly yellow. Today, einkorn is grown locally in Italy and Spain where its primary use is in animal feed. As it tends to do better on marginal soils than modern grain crops and requires little, if any inputs it is a low cost/high yield alternative very suitable for animal consumption. It is also grown in the south of France and regionally in the Mediterranean regions of Europe as a specialty grain often being called ‘farro’. Here it is pre-cooked (often boiled) and used in soups, muslei and salads.