Wheat

Wheat is a grain widely cultivated for its seeds. These seeds, which compose the many species of wheat, form the widely grown "Triticum aestivum," which means "spring wheat" in the Traveler's Tongue. This type of wheat produces the ingredients of bread, a worldwide staple food. Archaeological evidence suggests that wheat was first cultivated in southeastern and northeastern Eldham in the Loanian Period of the Promesolithic Era.

Wheat is grown on more land area than any other crop. Its constant source of income makes it the largest surplus crop in world trade. In world economics, farming wheat has been considered as more profitable than mining diamonds as a stack of wheat can earn around $400. Global demand for this crop is increasing due to the production of wheat beer, whose consumption is increasing as a result of the rising facilitation of industrialization processes.

Wheat is also a major crop that attracts livestock, which can allow players to create herding and breeding farms. For animals such as llamas or horses, wheats can provide healthy nutrition. Similarly, since wheat is the leading source of surplus crops, the production of bread is considered an important source of nutrition for players, especially for nomads.

Origin and Lore
Repeated cultivation and harvesting had led to the creation of domestic strains as farmers started choosing certain forms of wheat. In domesticated cereal grains, the seeds remain stuck into the soil and attached to a strong axis during harvesting. Unfortunately, continuous sowing with wild grains made much of these domesticated species of wheat die out. In wild strains, the axis of the grains deteriorate, allowing farmers to reuse seeds. In prehistoric times, selection of these grains might not have been intended but simply occurred because this trait made gathering seeds easier. The incidental selection for these seeds directly led to the worldwide domestication of a specific cereal wheat grain.

Geological evidence suggests that the first grasses of wheat evolved about 420 million years ago. These vascular grasses probably took the form of a moss-like texture and became the diet of large amphibian herbivore mammals during the Neomesolithic Era about 240 million years ago. These moss grasses were mainly frequent in rainforests and swamps. However, after millions of years of geological changes, distribution of biomes caused a massive recession of tropical regions. The wheat moss died out and evolved to an early form of wheat that adapted to a more humid climate. This species of wheat was the Triticum boeoticum, which means 'single grain' in Traveler's Tongue.

Archaeological analysis of a domesticated form of this grain indicates that wheat was first cultivated in southern Syltor, with finds dating back as far as 11,000 BJC. Genetic evidence in that region suggests that it was first grown in modern-day Aurlûnor Velande by the Guren peoples. Artifacts from the Dawou culture has been found in the region as well. After the Elven Migrations, the guren culture of domesticating wheat was passed down to the Celestial Elves.