Barley
Family Gramineae (or Poaceae)
Hordeum vulgare (= Hordeum sativum), barley (H. vulgare 1), is an important cereal from the temperate regions. Its distribution is from 70 degrees North in Europe to arid regions near the Sahara, in Tibet, India, China and Ethiopia. It is the most drougth and salt resistant species of all cereals. Its height varies between 50-100 cm. The stem produces a spike with spikelets in threes at each node, and not singly as do wheat and rye.
Distribution
Barley, together with emmer wheat, was the first cereal to be domesticated in the Middle East about 9000 years ago. It was the 6-rowed barley (Hordeum vulgare var. hexastichum) which was first taken to Europe, as figures of barley on Greek and Roman coins indicate. The 2-rowed barley (Hordeum vulgare var. distichum) was established in Europe in the Middle Ages. Now most of the modern varieties of barley are of the 2-rowed type. The glumes are often long awned (H. vulgare 4) (H. vulgare 2).
Use
Barley cannot be used for the preparation of leavened bread because of the low gluten content. Pearl barley, made by de-husking and grinding the grain, is used in soups and stews. However, barley is the most important grain used in the brewing of beer (H. vulgare 3). After germination, the young seedlings are dried to produce malt. This malt contains enzymes, which convert starch into fermentable sugars. Barley of too poor quality for malting is used for feeding livestock. The straw is used for the manufacture of carton.
Largest producers are Russia, China and France.