Common wheat, bread's key ingredient
Common wheat, also known as soft wheat, is one of the most well-known grains. Its flour is used make a number of food products that are well-loved both in France and around the world.
Champ de blé tendre by Serge Sauret / Passion CéréalesIntercéréales
What is common wheat?
Common wheat, like all cereal crops, belongs to the Poaceae family (formerly known as the Gramineae family). It's the most-farmed cereal crop in France, and is mostly found in the northern half of the country.
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Where does common wheat come from?
The earliest wild remnants of wheat date back to 10,000 years ago. It was farmed from the Neolithic period onward (6,000 BCE) in the Middle East. Common wheat was the first cereal crop to be farmed and consumed by humans.
Hiéroglyphe : un homme tient des épis de blé by BasPhotoIntercéréales
Where does common wheat come from?
After winning the hearts of the pharaohs and being planted along the banks of the Nile, wheat farming spread rapidly across Central Asia and Africa before reaching Europe 3,000 years later.
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France, the breadbasket of Europe
37 million tons of common wheat are produced each year in France. This is down to the 5 million hectares of farmland dedicated to this crop, which makes up half of the total land surface in France dedicated to grain farming.
Semis du blé by Sebastien d'HalloyIntercéréales
Have patience, it's still growing!
Common wheat follows a 9-month cycle. This crop spends its winter beneath the earth. In France, the seeds are sown between October and November. The stems appear at the end of winter, then the ears sprout in May. The plant then continues to mature until the summer harvest.
Un grain de blé tendre by Passion CéréalesIntercéréales
What does a grain of wheat look like?
A grain of common wheat has a pale yellow color, is oval in shape, and is a little less than 0.4 inches (1 cm) long.
On the ear of wheat, the grains are bunched into parcels known as spikelets.
There are usually around 40 grains per ear of wheat, but this can vary according to the wheat variety.
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Wheat varieties and their uses
There are nearly 300 varieties of common wheat.
Some are best suited to make cookies, some for bread, and others for fodder (food for livestock).
pains baguettes sur une grille by Sebastien d'HalloyIntercéréales
A source of nutrients
Common wheat is a source of vegetable protein and provides energy thanks to its high starch content. It is low in fats and sugars. It is also high in fiber and contains vitamins and minerals.
Contrôle de l'élasticité de la pâte à pain by Hugues Légal/Passion CéréalesIntercéréales
And gluten?
Common wheat contains proteins that form the glutinous network. This structure adds elasticity to a preparation of common wheat flour, like bread dough. It's thanks to the gluten that the bread can rise, that the breadcrumb is airy and the crust crusty.
Crêpes suzettes à l'orange by Marie-Laure Tombini/PAssion CéréalesIntercéréales
Wheat in cooking
Common wheat flour is the key ingredient of a number of recipes like crepes, cake batter, or pie or pizza dough.
pains baguette tradition drapeau francais by Sebastien d'HalloyIntercéréales
Wheat, flour, bread
And bread is one of the main flour-based food products eaten around the world.
The baguette is also a national symbol of France. The expertise of farmers, millers, and bakers in the French tradition is no stranger to this success!
