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  • From: Roy Morgan <k1lky AT earthlink.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Small Grains, Was Hulless Oats
  • Date: Sun, 25 May 2008 23:14:19 -0400


On May 25, 2008, at 5:09 PM, Gloria Morris wrote:
Is it Spelt that was supposed to have been re-grown from SEVEN seeds
found in an egyptian mummy's pocket or some such tale?
No it isn't. Indeed, I've no idea what you are talking about,

It appears that what I was talking about is Kamut, not spelt.
Klansgian posted this link:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/v4-182.html
which tells the story, including these excerpts:

"... Kamut® is a registered trademark of Kamut International, Ltd., used in marketing products made with a remarkable grain. The new cereal is an ancient relative of modern durum wheat, two to three times the size of common wheat
... Following WWII, a US airman claimed to have taken a handful of this grain from a stone box in a tomb near Dashare, Egypt. Thirty-six kernels of the grain were given to a friend who mailed them to his father, a Montana wheat farmer. "

So based on that, there may be some credibility to the egyptian tomb idea, and the name is apparently trademarked for marketing products made with the grain. However the article also says: "...most scientists believe it probably survived the years as an obscure grain kept alive by the diversity of crops common to small peasant farmers perhaps in Egypt or Asia Minor."

This stuff also appears to be edible by folks with allergies to normal wheat.

Roy

Roy Morgan
k1lky AT earthlink.net
Lovettsville, VA 20180







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