Rye (
Secale cereale) is a
grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (
Triticeae) and is closely related to
barley and
wheat. Rye grain is used for
flour,
rye bread,
rye beer, some
whiskies, some
vodkas, and animal
fodder. It can also be eaten whole, either as boiled rye berries, or by being rolled, similar to
rolled oats.
Rye is a
cereal grain and should not be confused with
ryegrass which is used for lawns, pasture, and hay for livestock.
History
Rye is one of a number of species that grow wild in central and eastern Turkey, and adjacent areas. Domesticated rye occurs in small quantities at a number of Neolithic sites in Turkey, such as
PPNB Can Hasan III, but is otherwise virtually absent from the archaeological record until the Bronze Age of central Europe, c. 1800-1500 BC. It is possible that rye traveled west from Turkey as a minor admixture in wheat, and was only later cultivated in its own right. Although archeological evidence of this grain has been found in Roman contexts along the Rhine Danube and in the British Isles,
Pliny the Elder is dismissive of rye, writing that it "is a very poor food and only serves to avert starvation" and wheat is mixed into it "to mitigate its bitter taste, and even then is most unpleasant to the stomach" (
N.H. 18.40).
Since the
Middle Ages, rye has been widely cultivated in
Central and
Eastern Europe and is the main
bread cereal in most areas east of the
French-
German border and north of
Hungary.
Claims of much earlier cultivation of rye, at the
Epipalaeolithic site of
Tell Abu Hureyra in the
Euphrates valley of northern
Syria, remain controversial. Critics point to inconsistencies in the radiocarbon dates, and identifications based solely on grain, rather than on chaff.
Agronomy
wild rye
is any breed of rye planted in the fall to provide ground cover for the winter. It actually grows during any warmer days of the winter, when sunlight temporarily brings the plant to above freezing, even while there is still general snow cover. It can be used to prevent the growth of
winter-hardy weeds, and can either be harvested as a bonus crop, or tilled directly into the ground in spring to provide more organic matter for the next summer's crop. It is sometimes used in
winter gardens and is a very common
nurse crop.
The
flame moth,
rustic shoulder-knot and
turnip moth are among the species of
Lepidoptera whose larvae feed on rye.
Production and consumption statistics
Rye is grown primarily in Eastern, Central and Northern
Europe. The main rye belt stretches from northern
Germany through
Poland,
Ukraine,
Belarus,
Lithuania and
Latvia into central and northern
Russia. Rye is also grown in North America (
Canada and the
USA), in South America (
Argentina,
Brazil), in
Turkey, in
Kazakstan and in northern
China.
Production levels of rye are falling in most of the producing nations due to falling demand. For instance, production of rye in Russia fell from 13.9 million tons in 1992 to just 3.4 Mt in 2005. Corresponding figures for other countries are as follows: Poland - 5.9 Mt in 1992 and 3.4 Mt in 2005; Germany - 3.3 Mt & 2.8 Mt; Belarus - 3.1 Mt & 1.2 Mt; China - 1.7 Mt & 0.6 Mt; Kazakhstan - 0.6 Mt & 0.02 Mt.
Most of rye is consumed locally, and is exported only to neighbouring countries, but not worldwide.
Diseases
Rye is highly susceptible to the
ergot fungus. Consumption of ergot-infected rye by humans and animals results in a serious medical condition known as
ergotism. Ergotism can cause both physical and mental harm, including convulsions, miscarriage, necrosis of digits, and hallucinations. Historically, damp northern countries that have depended on rye as a staple crop were subject to periodic epidemics of this condition. There have been "occurrence[s] of ergotism with periods where there were high incidents of people persecuted for being witches. Emphasis was placed on the
Salem witch trials in Massachusetts in 1692, where there was a sudden rise in the number of people accused of being witches, but earlier examples were taken from Europe, as well."
Uses
Rye bread, including
pumpernickel, is a widely eaten food in Northern and Eastern Europe. Rye is also used to make the familiar
crisp bread. Rye
flour has a lower
gluten content than
wheat flour, and contains a higher proportion of
soluble fiber.
Some other uses of rye include
rye whiskey and use as an
alternative medicine in a liquid form, known as rye extract. Often marketed as Oralmat, rye extract is a liquid obtained from rye and similar to that extracted from
wheatgrass. Its benefits are said to include a strengthened
immune system, increased energy levels and relief from
allergies, but there is no clinical evidence for its efficacy. Rye also seems active in the prevention of
prostate cancer.
Rye straw is used to make
corn dollies.
See also
