Ancient Sicilian Grains and Gluten Intolerance: What You Need to Know

We’ve noticed a lot of our guests suffering from gluten intolerance over the years. Or worse: they are celiac and as a result, they can’t enjoy all the delicious pasta and pastry found on every Ciclismo Classico trip.

Yet, living here – on the Mediterranean’s largest island – I’ve discovered a local movement focused on returning to the ancient grains of Sicily. Grains with limited gluten content.

“Sicily’s ancient grains?” you may ask. “What’s that all about?”

The Daily Bread

During the Roman Republic, Sicily was considered the “breadbasket of the Roman Empire.”

With an extraordinary climate and rich volcanic soil, many fruits and vegetables grew on the island.

But not only produce. Many different varieties of wheat populated the hillsides. These native varieties are what the locals call “ancient grains.” And there’s a push to bring them back.

But what were these grains exactly and where did they go?

A Man and His Cows

I spoke with Alleva Bio owner Giuseppe Grasso. Alleva Bio is a countryside farm producing the highest quality beef on the island. This beef goes on to the Michelin starred restaurants of Sicily, Milano, and France.

Giuseppe comes from many generations of cattle farmers. Good feed makes good beef. He knows a lot about the history of ancient grains. Most important, he’s also a great friend of mine.

When we talk about ancient grains, what is it we are talking about specifically?

These ancient grains are old varieties of local grains, introduced and developed over centuries.

There are 52 protected varieties: germplasms preserved directly in a seed bank at the Experimental Station of Seed Cultivation in Caltagirone. Professor Ugo De Cillis directed the agency in 1928.

Define the “varieties” of ancient grains. Where did they come from? were they left here by Greeks and Romans for example or even earlier than these populations?

The introduction of ancient grains to Sicily goes back to 3,000 B.C. as a operation of the Greeks who first planted them here.

The sea travelers who followed them had varied and diverse origins. But over the course of the following centuries, many of them settled on the island. Generally, these settlers and travelers carried, exported or imported small qualities of wheat and grain. They would subsequently plant it in new locations. As a result, you have multiple varieties of a similar species of wheat.

For example, we often talk of “Timilia” or “Tumminia” which is not genetically the same grain. Even Goethe in 1786 spoke directly about fields of Timilia, during his trip to Sicily. Another example is during the siege war of Lentini. Near Catania, in the 15th C., the citizens of the town were affected by the winds of war sweeping the valley. They would sow the wheat known as “Marzullo” because it grew from March to June – an extremely short period.

Another grain is the “giant” or “tall” varieties of Timilia which came from Poland through the island of Saint Elena in 1850. Russello (known locally as Tangarò or Taganrog) came around the year 1800 and possibly originates from a Russian city of the same name.

How long have we been studying these ancient species of wheat?

We have only started researching and studying Sicilian wheat populations for the past 200 years. Names will almost always indicate their origins such as Tripolino or Romano for example.

The reason why all of these varieties have grown substantially over the years on our island is not surprising. Sicily has a central location in trade exchanges in the Mediterranean basin. People were moving all over the place for a long time and they often dropped a few seeds here and there.

Besides, the unique pedo-climatic conditions characterized by extremely heterogeneous environments enhanced their growth and proliferation. Consider the different soils, the varying distances from the seas, different wind exposures and altitudes: every wheat germ – over thousands of years – was able to find the perfect environment to thrive.

A Case for Gluten in Prehistory?

Celiac disease is no laughing matter. It is a genetic autoimmune disease triggered by consuming large amounts of gluten. This means not everyone has it (about 1 in 133 Americans have been diagnosed) but gluten can trigger its effects.

Odd, since primitive peoples don’t appear to have been gluten sensitive.

According to a 2014 New Yorker article, something happened to the quantity of gluten we began to eat in the 1940s. Medically speaking, cases of gluten intolerance rose dramatically and physicians began treating more cases of celiac disease.

Although no one has a complete conclusion of what happened, it appears food manufacturers inserted large quantities of gluten – since the 1950s – not only in wheat products but in many processed foods including processed meat.

Thus, we may have been eating too much gluten the last few decades and have grown intolerant to it, as Dr. Alessio Fasano from the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment, explained to Time Magazine.

Ancient Grains and Low Gluten Count

Although all grains contain some form of gluten, the ancient grains contain low quantities of natural, non-processed wheat gluten. Whereas someone who suffers from celiac disease should avoid all gluten and gluten-products, anyone suffering from gluten intolerance may not feel the same discomfort when eating the ancient grains.

The Slow Food movement sites an article in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry proving this fact. In a 2018 study, biochemists showed how ancient grains contain less gluten and cholesterol than modern grains.

So let’s get back to Giuseppe…

What happened to all of these ancient grains over the past 100 years? Why are we only discussing now the return to these antique germs?

The ever increasing demand for excellent food and genuine ingredients, characterized by a strong territorial matrix, attentive to sustainable products, has determined the “rediscovery” of these ancient grains. Many of them seem to have fallen into oblivion in front of a “few” popular wheat varieties. Years ago, scientists offered these name-brand varieties to farmers. But researchers modified and hybridized strains in laboratories. They were attempting to make more quantity over a faster time-frame.

Thanks to the conscious consumer, local farmers are returning to this idea of quality. If we focus on perceptions of flavors, fragrances, local traditions, and biodiversity, we stimulate the rebirth of the ancient Sicilian grains.

What to know more about Sicilian ancient grains? Come with us on our La Bella Sicilia tour in 2020 and let your palate decide for itself.