An edible seed [n 1] is a seed that is suitable for human or animal consumption. Of the six major plant parts, [n 2] seeds are the dominant source of human calories and protein. [1] A wide variety of plant species provide edible seeds; most are angiosperms, while a few are gymnosperms. As a global food source, the most important edible seeds by weight are cereals, followed by legumes, nuts, [2] then spices.
Cereals (grain crops) and legumes (pulses) correspond with the botanical families Poaceae and Fabaceae, respectively, while nuts, pseudocereals, and other seeds form polyphylic groups based on their culinary roles.
Grains are the edible seed of a plants in the grass family Poaceae. Grains come in two varieties, the larger grains produced by drought-sensitive crops are called cereals, and the smaller drought-resistant varieties are millets. Grains can be consumed in a variety of ways, all of which require husking and cooking, including whole, rolled, puffed, or ground into flour. Many cereals are present or past staple foods, providing a large fraction of the calories in the places in which they are eaten. Today, cereals provide almost half of all calories consumed in the world. [3]
Cereals | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Family | Tribe | Genus | Species | Seed name(s) | Photo |
Poaceae | Andropogoneae | Sorghum | S. bicolor | sorghum | |
Zea | Z. mays | maize, corn, corn kernel | |||
Eragrostideae | Eleusine | E. coracana | finger millet | ||
Eragrostis | E. tef | teff | |||
Oryzeae | Oryza | O. sativa | Asian rice | ||
O. glaberrima | African rice | ||||
Zizania | wild rice | ||||
Paniceae | Digitaria | D. iburua | black fonio | ||
D. exilis | white fonio | ||||
Panicum | P. miliaceum | proso millet | |||
P. sumatrense | little millet | ||||
Pennisetum | P. glaucum | pearl millet | |||
Setaria | S. italica | foxtail millet | |||
Poeae | Avena | A. sativa | oat, oat groat | ||
Triticeae | Hordeum | H. vulgare | barley, barley groat | ||
Secale | S. cereale | rye, rye berry | |||
× Triticosecale | triticale | ||||
Triticum | T. aestivum | wheat, wheat berry | |||
T. durum | durum, durum wheat | ||||
T. monococcum | einkorn | ||||
T. spelta | spelt, spelt wheat | ||||
T. turanicum | kamut | ||||
T. turgidum | emmer | ||||
Thinopyrum | T. intermedium | Kernza |
Other grasses with edible seeds include:
A pseudocereal, or pseudocereal grain, is the edible seed of a pseudocereal, one of a polyphyletic group of plants that produce seeds that resemble those of cereals. Pseudocereals are used in many of the same ways as cereals.
Pseudocereals | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Family | Genus | Species | Seed name(s) | Photo | |
Amaranthaceae | Amaranthus | amaranth, amaranth grain | |||
Chenopodium | C. berlandieri | pitseed goosefoot | |||
C. pallidicaule | kañiwa | ||||
C. quinoa | quinoa | ||||
Capparaceae | Boscia | B. senegalensis | hanza | ||
Lamiaceae | Salvia | S. hispanica | chia, chia seed | ||
Linaceae | Linum | L. usitatissimum | flax, flaxseed, linseed | ||
Moraceae | Brosimum | B. alicastrum | breadnut | ||
Pedaliaceae | Sesamum | S. indicum | sesame, sesame seed | ||
Polygonaceae | Fagopyrum | F. esculentum | buckwheat, buckwheat groat |
A legume, or pulse, is the edible seed of a legume, a plant in the family Fabaceae. [4] Legumes can be divided into grams, which do not split, and dals, which split.
Legumes | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Family | Tribe | Genus | Species | Seed name(s) | Photo |
Fabaceae | Dalbergieae | Arachis | A. hypogaea | peanut (groundnut) | |
Cicereae | Cicer | C. arietinum | chickpea, garbanzo bean, gram | ||
Fabeae | Pisum | P. sativum | pea [n 3] | ||
Millettieae | Pongamia | P. pinnata | Indian beechnut | ||
Phaseoleae | Cajanus | C. Cajan | pigeon pea | ||
Glycine | G. max | soybean | |||
Phaseolus | P. lunatus | lima bean | |||
P. vulgaris | common bean [n 4] | ||||
Vigna | V.aconitifolia | moth bean | |||
V. angularis | adzuki bean | ||||
V. mungo | black gram | ||||
V. radiata | mung bean, green gram | ||||
V. subterranea | Bambara groundnut | ||||
V. unguiculata | cowpea | ||||
Vicieae | Lens | L. culinaris | lentil | ||
Vicia | V. faba | fava bean, broad bean |
Although some beans can be consumed raw, some need to be heated before consumption. In certain cultures, beans that require heating are initially prepared as a seed cake. Beans that need heating include: [5]
According to the botanical definition, nuts are a particular kind of fruit. [6] Chestnuts, hazelnuts, and acorns are examples of nuts under this definition. In culinary terms, however, the term is used more broadly to include fruits that are not botanically qualified as nuts, but that have a similar appearance and culinary role. Examples of culinary nuts include almonds and cashews. [7] [8]
Edible gymnosperm seeds that resembles nuts include:
Other edible seeds that do not neatly fit into the above categories include:
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
In botany, a nut is a fruit from a tree consisting of a hard or tough nutshell protecting a kernel which is usually edible. The shell is indehiscent, meaning it does not open to release the seed. Most seeds come from fruits that naturally free themselves from the shell, but this is not the case in nuts such as hazelnuts, chestnuts, and acorns, which have hard shell walls and originate from a compound ovary.
Sprouting is the natural process by which seeds or spores germinate and put out shoots, and already established plants produce new leaves or buds, or other structures experience further growth.
Legumes are plants in the family Fabaceae, or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, but also as livestock forage and silage, and as soil-enhancing green manure. Well-known legumes include beans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, tamarind, alfalfa, and clover. Legumes produce a botanically unique type of fruit – a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces on two sides.
Pine nuts, also called piñón, pinoli, or pignoli, are the edible seeds of pines. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are traded locally or internationally owing to their seed size being large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines, the seeds are also edible but are too small to be of notable value as human food. The biggest producers of pine nuts are China, Russia, North Korea, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Vegetarian nutrition is the set of health-related challenges and advantages of vegetarian diets.
Bush bread, or seedcakes, refers to the bread made by Aboriginal Australians by crushing seeds into a dough that is then baked. The bread is high in protein and carbohydrate, and forms part of a balanced traditional diet. It is also sometimes referred to as damper, although damper is more commonly used to describe the bread made by non-Indigenous people.
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes.
The cuisine of Niger draws on traditional African cuisines. Various spices are used and meals include grilled meat, seasonal vegetables, salads, and various sauces. Meals in Niger usually start with colorful salads made from seasonal vegetables. Moringa leaves are a favorite for a salad.
Among the many systems of classification of crops, commercial, agricultural, and taxonomical can be considered to be the most widely accepted agriculture classification of crops.
This is a categorically organized list of foods. Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is produced either by plants, animals, or fungi, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.
A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and generally forming a significant proportion of the intake of other nutrients as well. For humans, a staple food of a specific society may be eaten as often as every day or every meal, and most people live on a diet based on just a small variety of food staples. Specific staples vary from place to place, but typically are inexpensive or readily available foods that supply one or more of the macronutrients and micronutrients needed for survival and health: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins. Typical examples include grains, seeds, nuts and root vegetables. Among them, cereals, legumes and tubers account for about 90% of the world's food calorie intake.
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