Emmer is one of the oldest cultivated cereals — a hulled, amber-brown wheat (Triticum dicoccum) whose plump kernels stay locked inside tough glumes that must be pounded or roller-milled off before cooking. Nutty, chewy and lightly sweet, it is the classic "farro" of central Italy (farro medio), eaten whole in soups and salads and milled into a dense, flavourful flour.