Biodiversity on farmers’ fields, an enormous selection of pastries at the bakery, slow food, functional food, ancient grains, culinary delights and healthy food – all of them have nowadays a great influence on our daily consumption. Thereby, rare and especially old and traditional species such as einkorn, emmer, spelt, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and chia are more and more demanded.

This book delivers well-founded insights into these rediscovered rarities, their history, recommendations for their successful cultivation, their quality characters and the resulting consequences for bakers, pasta producers, brewers, and last but not least their health promoting ingredients. This book represents a treasure trove for farmers, bakers, millers, brewers and consumers with a wide range of exciting information.

The book wishes to address especially Farmers, who look for promising crop alternatives; Organic farmers, who want to cultivate traditional species; Traders, millers and bakers, who want to enrich their portfolio by rendsetting products; Consumers, who want to have delicious and regional products; all those, who want to have a healthy, diverse and tasty diet.

The authors, Prof. Dr. Thomas Miedaner and PD Dr. Friedrich Longin, are scientists at the University of Hohenheim, Germany, and well-known experts in the research of ancient and alternative grains for daily consumption.