Spelt

Spelt
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Pooideae
Genus:	Triticum
Species:	T. spelta
Binomial name
	Triticum spelta; L.
Synonyms
	Spelta vulgaris Ser.; Triticum aestivum ssp. spelta (L.) Thell; Triticum arias Clemente; Triticum elymoides Hornem.; Triticum forskalei Clemente; Triticum palmovae G.I.Ivanov; Triticum rufescens Steud. nom. inval.; Triticum speltiforme Seidl ex Opiz; Triticum speltoides Flaksb. nom. inval.; Triticum zea Host; Zeia spelta (L.) Lunell;

Spelt (Triticum spelta), also known as dinkel wheat is a species of wheat. It is a relict crop, eaten in Central Europe and northern Spain. It is high in protein. In Australia it is marketed as a health food.

Spelt was cultivated from the Neolithic period onward. It was a staple food in parts of Europe from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. It is used in baking, and is made into bread, pasta, and beer.

It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the closely related common wheat (T. aestivum), with the botanical name Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta. It is a hexaploid, most likely a hybrid of wheat and emmer.