Old wheat varieties are the future!

Modern wheat varieties have invaded the market but ancient ones still hold key advantages…

Wheat is a cereal of very ancient culture but the vast majority of the wheat we eat today comes from modern varieties that were created in the 1970’s. These new crops, known as Triticum vulgare and Triticum durum, were obtained by irradiating with gamma rays some older varieties such as the Senatore Cappelli variety.

The aim was to increase agricultural yields and to have a more compact type of gluten that gives more resistant flours. And these two objectives have been reached beyond expectations! Smaller plants made greater mechanisation possible and the new varieties have a much higher gluten content that renders the flour more elastic.

Important environmental and social costs

However, we are now realising that these advances come at a high cost in the long run. Indeed, the smaller plants of modern varieties are more fragile and exposed to the growth of weeds, requiring a lot more weedkillers, pesticides and chemical fertilisers! As these are becoming more expensive and are needed in ever higher quantities, the cost of producing wheat with these new varieties is proving less and less sustainable for the environment, farmers and our wallets…

Also, the type and quantity of gluten contained in the new wheat varieties is resulting in a significant increase in intestinal disorders and food intolerances. It is estimated that the Irritable Bowel Syndrome and gluten-related disorders now affect 10 to 15% of the general population (1).

These problems have prompted a renewed interest in ancient wheat varieties. Many farmers, bakers and pasta makers, such as Giorgio Minardo in Sicily, are reverting to varieties such as Einkorn, Khorasan, Timilia, Senatore Cappelli or Russello. And this is not just for the environment: these wheats are also richer in nutrients like vitamins, amino acids and mineral salts, and have a lot more taste 😊

(1)   “Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Gluten-Related Disorders”, Paolo Usai-Satta et al., Nutrients, April 2020