Wheat
"This field here is high quality wheat, almost ready to be harvested and ground into flour. It's destined to be baked into bread for the dole in Belyos. Either that or it'll be rations for the Imperial Army. I do by bit to support the Empire. That field over there is spelt; it's for the workers. Makes a good dish they call pottage, never tried it myself. It's peasant's food, but it keeps them fed and stops them complaining."The most common and important food crop in The Empire of Belyos, more land is given over to the cultivation and processing of wheat than any other usage. It represents, in all of its forms, the majority of the average Imperial citizen's calorific intake, and even provides a large proportion of animal fodder as well. The mild climate around the Inner Sea, along with its fertile soils, allows for large scale production across Imperial lands, and all Elector States consider wheat as one of their most important crops. There are several strains of wheat, with the quality of the grain depending on the type of ground its planted in, and the wealth of the farmers involved in its planting. The majority of the grain from high quality wheat is ground into flour for baking into bread, whereas lower quality strains are made into dishes like pottage or fed to animals.
Properties
Material Characteristics
All varieties of wheat start as a seed grain, and then sprout into tall green shoots that shift to a golden brown colour as they mature and are ready for harvesting. The stalks are about a meter high and are topped with a cluster of grains that are the important part of the plant.
History & Usage
History
It has been postulated by Imperial scholars that humanity has grown wheat since before the time of the The Inheritance War, although in the period of Usurper rule it was far less intensive, with most societies relying on wild varieties planted deliberately. When the Inheritors granted the lands of the Inner Sea to the Imperial people, they made sure that that these wild varieties were commonplace, and taught those in the early Empire how to cultivate it and plant it for increased yields.
Since then, several varieties have been developed, depending on its end use, and farmers, millers and bakers have cooperated to create a complex and varied selection of foods from this simplest of plants.
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