cereali

Cereali, or cereals, are grasses cultivated for their edible seeds. The most important cereal crops worldwide are wheat, rice, maize (corn), barley, oats, millet, sorghum, and rye. Some plants commonly called cereals—such as quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat—are classified as pseudo-cereals because their seeds botanically come from different plant families, but they are used similarly in diets.

Cereal grains serve as staple foods in many regions and as a key source of calories and energy. They are processed into flour, meal, and starch, and used to make bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, beer, and animal feed. Whole grains which include bran and germ provide more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains.

Cultivation occurs worldwide, from temperate to tropical zones. Growers select varieties for yield, nutritional quality, drought tolerance, and disease resistance. Harvesting reduces moisture content to allow long-term storage. Cereal farming faces challenges such as climate variability, soil degradation, and the need for sustainable farming practices.

Historically, cereals have been central to the development of agriculture and food security. Different cereals dominated different regions: wheat and barley in Europe and West Asia, rice in East, Southeast, and parts of Africa, maize in the Americas. In modern agriculture, cereals are produced through industrialized systems, with advances in breeding, pest management, and supply chains.