More "wheaty" facts

- Botanically, tomatoes are a fruit. Legally, however, they are a vegetable, at least according to the US Supreme Court. (Nix v Hedden, 1839).
- Arkansas decided to play it safe and named the tomato as its state fruit and state vegetable.
- Corn is also treated as a vegetable, but of course it's a grain. Its closest living relative is the teosite bush.
- Insoluble fiber is generally regarded as healthy, but think about it--what is the point of eating something you can't digest? Some studies indicate that fiber moving through the gut causes a lot of irritation and damage, and the resulting mucous (your bodies' defense) is what actually moves things through.
- Genetically, today's wheat is completely different than 'heritage' wheat. The point being, if our bodies had once adapted to wheat as a food source, it hasn't caught up.
- There are two primary kinds of wheat--red and white. (The red is usually bleached to make it white.) In South America, there is a purple variant.
- Domestic wheat has been bred so the 'rachis' does not release the seeds. Thus, domestic wheat cannot survive in the wild.
- In English, corn is a generic term for grain. Only Americans have used it to specifically refer to maize.
- 85% of corn is genetically modified.
- Hominy is corn that has been soaked in lye.
- Like wheat, most corn is a semi-dwarf variety, growing less than 6 feet. Wild corn grows up to 9 feet.
- Porridge is any grain cooked in milk or water. Oatmeal is obviously oats. Polenta is maize, grits are hominy, and wheat is Cream of Wheat. (There doesn't appear to be a generic term for this.)
- Oats do not contain gluten, but many people who are sensitive to wheat gluten are usually sensitive to the proteins in oats, as well.
- Rolled oats are just that--the grain is flattened by rollers, making it easier to digest. It is also heated and dried, making it 'shelf stable.'
- Cut oats are used for oatmeal--the finer the cut, the faster they cook.