Nine thousand years ago, in the plains of Mesopotamia, the scorching sun baked the earth, and in the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the green of the living is particularly distinct from the yellow of the surrounding desert. In this green wave, a crop thrives on the irrigation of the river introduced by the ditch, and 2500 years later, in this fertile area, the earliest city-state civilization of mankind, the Sumerian civilization, which was the first civilization in the two river basins of West Asia, and this crop was wheat.
The Sumerian civilization was the first generation of civilizations in the two river basins of West Asia, and the material basis for supporting its civilization was the cultivation of wheat.
Wheat, a world-class staple grain originating in West Asia
Wheat originated in the Fertile Crescent of West Asia, which encompassed the levant and the two major parts of the two river basins on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, roughly today's Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, jordan, Syria, and southeastern Iraq and Turkey, with a silhouette shaped like a crescent moon, more than 400,000 square kilometers of land in a subtropical desert climate, and fertile soil for the birth of early farming due to the nourishment of the Jordan, Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
Wheat originated in the Fertile Crescent of West Asia, and its range included the Levant on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and two major parts of the Two Rivers Valley.
More than 400,000 square kilometers of land in the subtropical desert climate have been fertile by the nourishment of the Jordan, Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
The earliest wheat remains found in the current archaeology are archaeological sites in West Asia from the EPPNB (Early Tao Neolithic B) period, with an absolute age of 10,500-9,500 years ago. There were two varieties of cultivated wheat that were originally domesticated: one grain wheat and two grain wheat. Around 8,000 years ago, two-grain wheat spread eastward into the valley area between the northern And south-eastern Caspian Sea of the Iranian plateau, where it crossed with the local wild coarse goat grass to form a new cultivar, the hexagonal wheat that is now widely grown and eaten, which can also be called ordinary wheat.
There were two varieties of cultivated wheat that were originally domesticated: one grain wheat and two grain wheat.
After the emergence of cultivated wheat in West Asia, it spread around and gradually became the main crop variety of agricultural production of several major ancient civilizations in the world, such as the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia in the Two Rivers Valley, the ancient Egyptian civilization in the Nile River Basin, the ancient Indian civilization in the Indus Valley, and later the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, etc. The material basis of these ancient civilizations was based on the agricultural production of wheat as the main food crop.
Map of precipitation in the Iranian plateau
According to archaeological findings, wheat spread to the northern foothills of the Kopet Mountains (present-day Turkmenistan) in southwestern Central Asia.
Wheat spread eastward to Central Asia and continues to spread eastward became particularly slow, according to archaeological findings, wheat has spread to the northern foothills of the Kopet Mountains (present-day Turkmenistan) in southwestern Central Asia, but the earliest wheat remains unearthed in China are the tongtiandong site in Xinjiang, about 5200 years ago (see "Wheat introduced to China from West Asia, why didn't it take the Hexi Corridor and take the Eurasian grassland passage?"). Although there are dozens of wheat remains in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River in China, the excavation time is not more than 4500 years.
The climate of West Asia is very different from that of East Asia, that is, the difference between the Mediterranean climate, the subtropical desert climate and the monsoon climate
The reasons for the obstruction of the eastward spread of wheat should be manifold, but the main reason may be the huge difference between the climate of West Asia and the climate of East Asia, that is, the difference between the Mediterranean climate, the subtropical desert climate and the monsoon climate, the former is the rain and heat in different periods, the precipitation is concentrated in the winter and spring, while the latter is the same period of rain and heat, the precipitation is concentrated in the summer, the spring precipitation of wheat growth and sizing is sparse, so there is a folk proverb of "spring rain is as expensive as oil" and "wheat cover three-layer quilt, head pillow steamed bun sleep". Coupled with the fact that the summer precipitation will affect the ripening and harvesting of wheat, China's climate is actually not very suitable for wheat cultivation without artificial irrigation.
The spring precipitation of wheat growth jointing and grouting is scarce, so there is a folk proverb that "spring rain is as expensive as oil" and "wheat cover three-layer quilt, head pillow bun sleeps".
Without artificial irrigation in the spring, China's climate is actually not very suitable for wheat cultivation.
How did wheat come to China?
It turns out that wheat still spread from Central Asia to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, the core area of ancient Chinese civilization. Among them, the most discovered in the Haidai area of Shandong Province, such as Liaocheng School Shop, Jiaozhou Zhaojiazhuang, Rizhao Liangcheng town and Rizhao Liujiazhuang ruins, dating from 4200-4500 years ago, while the wheat remains of the Erlitou site in the Central Plains region were excavated 3900 to 3600 years ago, while the wheat remains in the northwest region were concentrated 4000-3200 years ago, such as the upper limit of the Gansu Dong ash mountain site is 3800 years ago, and the Gansu Jinta Flintstone Beam Site and the Cylinder Cylinder Tile Site are 4000-3700 years ago.
In particular, the Haidai area of Shandong Province is the most found, such as Liaocheng School Yard Shop, Jiaozhou Zhaojiazhuang, Rizhao Two Towns and Rizhao Liujiazhuang Ruins.
It can be inferred that there should be two ways for wheat to be introduced to China, one is the Eurasian grassland channel, and the other is the Hexi corridor channel. The transmission routes of the Eurasian grassland passage are: West Asia - Central Asia - Eurasian steppe bronze culture - northern China cultural region - the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River; The transmission route of the Hexi Corridor passage is: West Asia - Central Asia - Pamir Plateau - Oasis on the north and south sides of the Tarim Basin - Hexi Corridor - Loess Plateau area.
Wheat should be introduced to China in two ways, one is the Eurasian grassland passage, and the other is the Hexi corridor channel.
The extent of the Eurasian steppe
Extending the bronze cultures of the Eurasian steppe, the scope of which is roughly the Kazakh hills, the Sayanling-Altai Mountains-Tianshan region and the Mongolian plateau region, in the period from 5600 to 3400 years ago, there are several periods of early bronze cultures, such as Avana Sevo culture, Okunev culture, Chemurcek culture, Saima-Tubino culture, Andoronovo culture and so on. These cultures share many common features, such as early bronze products represented by animal-patterned bronze ornaments and bronze short swords, and a mixed production lifestyle of animal husbandry and farming.
Early bronze cultures of the Eurasian steppe, such as the Avana Shevo culture, the Okunev culture, the Saima-Tubino culture, and the Andronovo culture.
The early bronze culture of the Eurasian steppe has many common features, such as early bronze products represented by animal-patterned bronze ornaments and bronze short swords.
When wheat was accepted and planted by the early tribes of the Eurasian steppe, the connections between these early steppe bronze civilizations spread rapidly across the grassland to the east, and was eventually accepted by the northern Chinese cultural region, which inherited the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River to the south. Moreover, this steppe area spanning 110 longitudes from east to west, as early as prehistoric times, due to the large-scale drought in the northern Eurasian steppe, the large-scale migration of nomadic tribes to the south and east, this migration opened up the grassland passage from the Mongolian plateau in the east, to Eastern Europe in the west, and to Central Asia and West Asia in the south.
The Hexi Corridor connects the middle reaches of the Yellow River with the mainland Xinjiang and further afield in Central Asia.
Hexi Corridor
The remains of wheat excavated in the Hexi Corridor and Haidai in Shandong Are significantly earlier than those in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, and it can be speculated that there is also a Hexi Corridor passage in the route of wheat introduction.
Of course, there is no written record of prehistoric events, and only speculation can be drawn from the archaeology of speaking in objects, and the most direct evidence is the remains of prehistoric wheat. It is just that wheat, as an organic matter plant, is easy to decay, and it is difficult to preserve it in the accumulation of sites for a long time, and only a very small number of wheat carbonized particles that have been burned but have not turned into ashes, because they have become inorganic and chemically stable, can be excavated by archaeology, bringing thousands of years of information. Since many wheat remains excavated in the Hexi Corridor and the Haidai area of Shandong Are significantly earlier than the middle reaches of the Yellow River, it can be speculated that the introduction route of wheat also exists in the Hexi Corridor in addition to the grassland passage.
Only a very small number of wheat charred particles that have been burned but have not turned into ashes have become inorganic and chemically stable.
After the introduction of wheat to China, it gradually replaced the millet and millet that the Chinese ancestors had planted for thousands of years, and became the main crop of dryland agriculture in northern China
When wheat was introduced to China through these two channels, it gradually replaced the millet and millet that the Chinese ancestors had planted for thousands of years, and became the main crop of dryland agriculture in northern China, forming the agricultural production pattern of "southern rice and northern wheat" in China. Of course, weiyou mentioned before that China's wheat tastes inferior to Western wheat, but in fact, this is just the psychology of foreign moon rounds.
Cover toppings in Chinese noodles
Western-style pasta, the taste is more "elastic", the color is also more yellow.
Bread and steamed buns reflect the differences between East and West?
Take the "foreign relatives" pasta of Chinese-style Chinese noodles, many people will feel that the pasta taste is more "elastic" and the color is yellower. In fact, this difference is only because the raw material of pasta is not the same kind of wheat as Chinese noodles. Pasta uses "durum wheat," a transliteration of the Latin species name "durum," meaning "hard." "Elastic teeth" is because Duran wheat lacks a specific protein (purine diindole protein), which is harder than ordinary wheat after cooking, so it is also called "durum wheat".
Pasta uses "Duran wheat".
Duran wheat lacks a specific protein (purine diindole protein), which is harder than ordinary wheat when cooked, so it is also called "durum wheat".
The wheat grown in China is ordinary wheat, which is the white wheat in the winter wheat in the northern planting area (Henan Hebei Shandong Shanxi Shaanxi Subei Anhui North), which belongs to the thin skin semi-hard, high gluten content and high flour yield, accounting for more than 65% of the total wheat output; The winter wheat in the south and the spring wheat planted in the northeast and northwest are all red wheat, the former has thick and soft skin, the latter has thick and hard skin, but the gluten quality and flour yield are lower than the northern winter wheat.
The wheat grown in China is ordinary wheat, which is winter white wheat in the northern planting area, winter red wheat planted in the south, and spring red wheat planted in the northeast and northwest
Protein content, northern winter white wheat is 10.5% to 12%, northern hard spring red wheat is 12% to 15%, southern soft winter red wheat is 9.5% to 11.5%.
As for the protein content, the northern winter white wheat is 10.5% to 12%, the northern hard spring red wheat is 12% to 15%, and the southern soft winter red wheat is 9.5% to 11.5%, all of which are higher than the protein content of Durant wheat (8-11%). This is also the reason why Chinese wheat, although not as good as Durant wheat in terms of "elastic teeth", has a more wheat flavor than Durant wheat.
Bread and steamed buns are only the difference in the way ordinary wheat flour is used, that is, bread is baked and fermented dough, while steamed and fermented dough is steamed and fermented.
The baker cools the freshly baked bread on the shelf, and the separator with the gap allows the bread to cool more evenly and ensure that it does not lose too much moisture.
In addition, western bread and Eastern steamed buns are only different from the use of ordinary wheat flour, that is, bread is baked and fermented dough, while steamed and fermented dough is steamed and fermented. It is said that bread originated from ancient Egypt 5,000 years ago, according to legend, the earliest bread is baked without fermentation "raw noodles", which taste like a plate of bricks, dry and hard, a slave made bread for the master and fell asleep, woke up to find the swollen dough, in order to avoid being lazy to be discovered, hurriedly stuffed into the oven to bake, the result of the baked bread is loose and soft. After this method gradually became popular throughout Egypt, it was introduced to Rome through Greece and eventually became a necessity in the lives of Europeans and Americans.
500 grams of flour must be mixed with 200 grams of rice wine pulp, 100 grams of water and 50 grams of sugar, and the steamed buns have the aroma of rice wine and the sweetness of wheat.
We who mastered steam energy thousands of years ago have been stuck in the stage of steaming food with it, and Westerners set off an industrial revolution with steam more than 300 years ago.
In contrast, Chinese explored a very different path, using the high temperature of water vapor to fully induce the sweetness and wine aromas hidden in the fermented dough, and Westerners rarely use steam to make food. It is a pity that we who mastered steam energy thousands of years ago have been stuck in the stage of steaming food with it, and westerners have unveiled steam more than 300 years ago, setting off an industrial revolution that changed the power comparison between the East and the West.
Review of the previous issue: Why was the millet grown in China for thousands of years replaced by wheat imported from West Asia and withdrawn from the ranks of staple foods?
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