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Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- barley - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Barley is a valuable grain. Grains are grasses that produce seeds that can be eaten. Barley seeds are called kernels or barleycorns.
- barley - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Barley is a cereal plant. The grain has a nutlike flavor and is high in carbohydrates, with moderate quantities of protein, calcium, and phosphorus and small amounts of the B vitamins. In North Africa and parts of Asia, barley is a staple food grain. Barley flour is used to make an unleavened flatbread and to make porridge. Most beer is made from malted barley (malting involves steeping the grain in water until it becomes soft and sprouts), and malted barley is also used in the production of distilled beverages. Barley has a soft straw, which is used as bedding for livestock and as a feed providing bulk roughage. Barley belongs to the genus Hordeum of the grass family Poaceae (Gramineae). The three species of cultivated barley include Hordeum vulgare, Hordeum distichum, and Hordeum irregulare. (See also flour and flour milling; malt; beer and brewing.)