Germinated wheat () or sprouted wheat, wheat sprout is a product of germinating
wheat
Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
seeds in a wet and relatively warm environment in a process called
sprouting
Sprouting is the natural process by which seeds or spores germination, germinate and put out Shoot (botany), shoots, and already established plants produce new leaves or buds, or other Plant development#Adventitious structures, structures expe ...
. It is sometimes used instead of barley in the form of
malt
Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as "malting".
Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, ...
(early stage sprout) for making beer.
It is used in numerous Persian pastries, dishes, and desserts. Also, it has been used traditionally in the New Year celebration's
Haft-Seen table decoration, in the form of
Sabzeh (wheat grass), and a dessert called
Samanu
Samanu ( / ''samanu''; ), Samanak ( / ''samanak''), Sümelek ( / / ''Syumelek''), Sumanak (), Sumalak ( ) or Sümölök ( ) is a sweet paste made from germinated wheat (young wheatgrass) and wheat flour, which is prepared especially for No ...
, as symbols of blessings from
Ahura-Mazda. This custom has been observed by most of the people on
Iranian Plateau
The Iranian plateau or Persian plateau is a geological feature spanning parts of the Caucasus, Central Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. It makes up part of the Eurasian plate, and is wedged between the Arabian plate and the Indian plate. ...
and some of the populations in beyond (e.g. some parts of India, Yemen, Lebanon, Russia, and China) for thousands of years maybe as old as emerging of
Zoroaster
Zarathushtra Spitama, more commonly known as Zoroaster or Zarathustra, was an Iranian peoples, Iranian religious reformer who challenged the tenets of the contemporary Ancient Iranian religion, becoming the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism ...
.
One of the confections called
Sohan
Sohan is a village and union council of Jhelum District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It is part of Jhelum Tehsil, and is located at 33°3'25N 73°26'30E with an altitude of 303 metres (997 feet). Most of the population belong to th ...
is made up of mainly wheat sprout flour. It is a traditional Persian
saffron
Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...
brittle
toffee
Toffee is an English confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses (creating inverted sugar) along with butter, and occasionally flour. The mixture is heated until its temperature reaches the hard crack stage of . While being prepar ...
and made in the holy city of
Qom
Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...
.
Samani
In
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, the growing of samani () – green sprouting wheat – is the most sacred
Novruz
Nowruz (, , ()
, ()
, ()
, ()
, Kurdish: ()
, ()
, ()
, ()
,
,
,
, ()
,
, ) is the Iranian or Persian New Year. Historically, it has been observed by Iranian peoples, but is now celebrated by many ethnicities worl ...
ceremony as the herald of spring. Sprouting samani symbolises sowing and a rich harvest, it represents grain, bread, increase and abundance.
Grain and abundance is a pledge of life, existence, the most vital material necessity for life.
[Türk Mitoloji Sözlüğü, Pınar Karaca ]
"Semeni"
People have always grown samani from wheat, barley, peas, lentils or other grains in copper dishes; they have always revered it and rejoiced at its sprouting.
The
Azerbaijani proverb "" ("samani, O samani, I try to make you grow every year") refers to the annual renewal of nature.
See also
*
Germinated brown rice
Germinated brown rice (GBR; , ) is unpolished brown rice that has been allowed to germinate to improve the flavor and texture, and to increase levels of nutrients such as GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid). It has been found that germinated grains in ge ...
*
Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is the freshly sprouted Cotyledon, first leaves of the Wheat, common wheat plant (''Triticum aestivum''), used as a food, drink, or dietary supplement. Wheatgrass is served Freeze-drying, freeze dried or fresh, and so it differs from ...
References
External links
{{Nowruz
Wheat
Iranian cuisine
Sprouting