Ziarno

Ziarno is a Polish noun meaning grain or seed. In general use it refers to the small, hard reproductive bodies of cereal plants that are harvested for food or kept for planting. The term covers grains such as wheat, rye, barley, oats, and maize, as well as other seeds that can be sown.

In agriculture, ziarno is central: farmers harvest ziarno as a crop, and suppliers sell it as whole grains for milling or as seed for sowing. The quality of ziarno affects germination rates and yield. After harvest, it is dried, cleaned, and stored in silos or granaries to protect it from moisture and pests before processing or planting.

In cuisine and food production, ziarno is the raw material for flour and many other products. It can be milled to flour or used as whole grain in porridge, pilaf, or salads. The term is used in phrases such as ziarno pszenicy (wheat grain) or ziarno kukurydzy (corn grain), with context clarifying whether it refers to the raw grain or to a processed product.

Etymology: ziarno is of Slavic origin and has cognates in other languages, including Czech zrno, Russian zerno, and Ukrainian zerno. The word reflects the shared linguistic heritage of grain terminology across Central and Eastern Europe.