Ячмінь

Barley was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, which gave it nonshattering spikelets and made it much easier to harvest. Its use then spread throughout Eurasia by 2000 BC. Barley prefers relatively low temperatures and well-drained soil to grow. It is relatively tolerant of drought and soil salinity, but is less winter-hardy than wheat or rye. In 2023, barley was fourth among grains in quantity produced, 146 million tonnes, behind maize, rice, and wheat. Globally, 70% of barley production is used as animal feed, while 30% is used as a source of fermentable material for beer, or further distilled into whisky, and as a component of various foods. In 2024, world production of barley was 142 million tonnes, led by Russia with 12% of the total. Australia, Germany and France were secondary producers.

Barley is one of the three cereals among the founder crops, together with emmer wheat and einkorn wheat. Wild barley has two rows of spikelets, hulled grains and a brittle rachis, and domestication produced non-brittle, then naked, then six-rowed forms in succession. Brewers in Europe tend to use two-row cultivars, while breweries in North America use six-row barley or a mix.

Barley grains are commonly made into malt using a traditional and ancient method of preparation. Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air. Barley is the most commonly malted grain, in part because of its high content of enzymes. Malting develops the enzymes α-amylase and β-amylase, which convert the grain's starches into sugars such as glucose, maltose and maltotriose. Malts range in color from very pale through crystal and amber to chocolate or black malts. The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that creates melanoidins, the compounds that give browned food its distinctive flavor. The Maillard reaction contributes to the browning of malted barley as found in malt whiskey and beer.

Maltol is produced during the roasting of malt, from which it gets its name, and in the baking of bread.