Black emmer wheat is the most common variety of emmer in German fields. Due to its dark colour, which is caused by a high content of beta-carotene, it is better protected than other varieties from sunlight and thus from mutations. It also has a higher yield. Black emmer is cultivated as a “cool-season” cereal.

However, emmer is generally grown rather rarely. The protein (gluten) it contains is not said to have good adhesive properties, but emmer is nevertheless suitable for baking bread (e.g. pano di farro, an emmer bread from Italy) and pastries. Also from Italy comes an emmer soup, the Minestra di farro. Like durum wheat, with which it is related, emmer is very suitable for making pasta. It can also be used to brew beer. The plants can grow to a height of 1.50 m and are therefore larger than many other cereals.

In Ethiopia, emmer is an important cereal besides teff, in former times also in Egypt and Rome (“Wheat of Rome”).

• Edible Seeds (grain)
• Type of Fruit Caryopsis
• Culinary Group Cereals
• Taste neutral nutty
• Trivial Names Schwarzer Emmer, Zweikorn, Emmer, Black emmer wheat, Black hulled wheat, Emmer negro, Amidonnier noir
• Size (ear) 13 cm
• Taxonomy Poaceae (Grass family) Triticum dicoccon var. atratum
• Origin Near Asia (Map)
• Locality Wissenschaftsgarten Frankfurt (FRG) 2019