cereal crops: wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats, sorghum, millet
foundation of civilization's caloric supply, storable for years
grass family (species Poaceae), domesticated across every continent
kernels contain endosperm (starch), germ (lipids, protein), bran (fiber)
processing: milling, malting, fermentation (food)
global staple: rice feeds Asia, wheat feeds Europe and the Middle East, corn feeds the Americas
requires irrigation at scale, depletes soil without rotation with legume
stored after harvest, traded as the oldest commodity