Barley is a cereal grass, Hordeum vulgare, cultivated since deep antiquity as a bread grain, animal fodder and, historically, an in-kind currency across the ancient Near East. Genetic evidence points to the Israel-Jordan area of the southern Fertile Crescent as the primary site of its domestication from the wild grass Hordeum spontaneum, with securely dated domesticated remains at Tell Abu Hureyra by 7500 BCE and Tell Aswad by 6900 BCE. In Babylonia, Assyria and the lands of the Hittites, barley was the principal grain of everyday food, valued in part for tolerating salty, marginal land better than wheat, and it also served as a standardized unit of payment and of weight.
Facts
Disputed
Earliest Documented Use, From (Year)Genetic study places initial domestication at roughly 8000 BCE in the Israel-Jordan area of the southern Fertile Crescent; securely dated archaeological remains of domesticated barley follow at Tell Abu Hureyra by 7500 BCE and Tell Aswad by 6900 BCE, so a range is given rather than a single year. Classification
AllergenCereals Containing Gluten 1 Origin RegionThe Israel-Jordan area of the southern Fertile Crescent 1 Barley
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Carries Allergen
Entity-backed identity for the allergen value this ingredient already carries as an enum fact, resolved to a ingredient entity by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.
Expresses Tradition
Used By
Beer, Drinks Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidson
Source Finnish Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Source Irish Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Source Isterband (Wikipedia)
Source Larousse Gastronomique
Source Orzotto (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Scotch broth
Source Wikipedia, Suaasat
Source Larousse Gastronomique
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. On the Origin and Domestication History of Barley (Molecular Biology and Evolution)
Oxford University Press, Molecular Biology and EvolutionAbstract
Remains of barley (Hordeum vulgare) grains found at archaeological sites in the Fertile Crescent indicate that about 10,000 years ago the crop was domesticated there from its wild relative Hordeum spontaneum.
Molecular Biology and Evolution, description lead (allergen)
Barley is a cereal grass, Hordeum vulgare, cultivated since deep antiquity as a bread grain
View the Source The Oxford Companion to Food
Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press, 2014Used By: Beer
Larousse Gastronomique
Hamlyn, 2009- Used By: Mongolian Cuisine, entry: Barley
- Used By: Tibetan Cuisine, entry: Barley
Haleem (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUsed By: Haleem, Infobox main_ingredient field: Wheat, barley, dal, meatView the Source Wikipedia: Scotch broth
Used By: Scotch Broth, Infobox main_ingredient field: Barley, lamb, mutton or beef, root vegetables (carrots, swedes), dried pulsesView the Source Wikipedia, Suaasat
Bsisa (Wikipedia)
Used By: Bsisa, lead paragraphQuote, Used By: Bsisa, lead paragraph
Bsisa (Arabic: بسيسة, Berber aḍemmin, also known as bsissa) is a fine powder made from roasted barley and legumes, typical in North African cuisine, prepared and served either as a paste or drink.
Isterband (Wikipedia)
Used By: Isterband, lead paragraphQuote, Used By: Isterband, lead paragraph
It is made of pork, barley groats and potato.
Orzotto (Wikipedia)
Used By: Orzotto, lead paragraphQuote, Used By: Orzotto, lead paragraph
Orzotto (Italian pronunciation: [orˈdzɔtto]) is an Italian dish similar to risotto, but made with pearl barley instead of rice.
Finnish Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Used By: Finnish Cuisine, Wikipedia article textQuote, Used By: Finnish Cuisine, Wikipedia article text
Finnish foods often use wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as bilberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn).
Irish Cuisine (Wikipedia)
Used By: Irish Cuisine, Wikipedia article textQuote, Used By: Irish Cuisine, Wikipedia article text
The cultivation and processing of cereals, as well as the maintenance of livestock in farming scenarios saw the significant consumption of new foods, particularly emmer wheat, barley, beef, pig, and goat, which coincided with a steep decline in the consumption of marine life.
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