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Our debt to the goddess Ceres By Jeff Cheek We owe a huge debt to the Roman Goddess Ceres. She was the patron goddess of cereals, the bedrock of nutrition for all Mankind. We get the word cereals from this lady. Cereals are such an important part of our diet that 56 percent of all the arable land in the world is used to produce cereal grains. It is assumed that primitive man gathered and chewed wild grain seeds before turning to agriculture, about 10,000 years before Christ. We think of wheat, rice and corn as edible grains but rye, barley and millet were equally important at one time. Millet is still an important food source in parts of Africa and Asia. No one knows exactly where millet started but long before recorded history it was being eaten in North China and most of Africa. It was a staple of the Etruscans diet in Northern Europe before they were overrun by the Romans. The Romans preferred barley. A Chinese legend says that Prince Millet was the celestial ancestor of the first Chou Emperor of China, and his gift to his descendant was the precious food grain. The Dogon tribes in modern Mali believe that millet was stolen from the starry sky by their first ancestor, who is revered as the father of all Dogons. The people of Upper Volta, another African nation bordering Mali on the south, tell a different story. The Mossi tribe of Volta believe it was discovered by a woman. During a lengthy famine, she captured a bird and prepared to cook it. The bird voided his bowels, and stalks of millet sprang up from his droppings. Barley was another important food grain. As early as 3,000 B.C. the Egyptians were grinding both wheat and barley into flour to make bread. Barley was valued because it grew in poor soil with little water. The best land and most of the water was reserved for wheat. Roman legions were fed a thick gruel made from barley, and one legion threatened to mutiny when their gruel was depleted and they were forced to eat steak. Barley is no longer a primary food grain but cans of beef and barley soup can be found in any supermarket. Rye is another food grain that has declined in popularity but rye is a specialty bread found everywhere. Like barley it can be grown in soil that will not support wheat. Rice cultivation began in India and Southeast Asia. The life cycle mirrors the annual monsoon, or rainy season. Germination, then flooding and growth followed by the dry season which permits harvest. Records show that it has been cultivated since 3,500 B.C., but it probably was earlier than that. Rice came to Europe with the Moors in 711. It was introduced into the United States in 1685. Rice is the basic food for roughly one third of the world's population, but uses only 15.5 percent of the arable land. Wheat takes up 31 percent. Wheat is usually turned into flour for bread, cakes, noodles or pasta, but bulgar wheat can be used in salads. This recipe is from the wife of Admiral Paul McCarthy, (then) commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet. INGREDIENTS: 1 cup cooked bulgar wheat 1 bunch parsley, chopped 1 bunch green onions, chopped 2 medium tomatoes, chopped Dressing: 1/3 cup lemon juice 2/3 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt PREPARATION: Mix all salad ingredients. Mix dressing in separate bowl, then toss with salad. This basic recipe can be improved by adding chopped black olives or celery. Jeff Cheek lives in Medford LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -