Cereal

farming · grains · staple foods

Grass we eat. Cereals are actually types of grass, just like the lawn in your yard. People have been growing them for thousands of years because their seeds, called grains, are packed with nutrition.

Feed the world. Cereals are the biggest crops grown anywhere on Earth, feeding more people than any other type of food. Rice, wheat, oats, and corn are some of the main cereals that millions of people eat every single day.

Planted by season. Some cereals are planted in spring and harvested in summer, while others are planted in autumn, sleep through the winter, and wake up to grow in spring. This helps farmers get the most grain from their land.

Named after a goddess. The word cereal comes from Ceres, the ancient Roman goddess of grain and farming. Romans thought she was so important that they named one of their biggest crops after her.

Real and fake grains. Some grains like amaranth and quinoa are pretenders called pseudocereals because they come from different plant families, but they're just as nutritious and delicious as true cereals.