Cereals are the edible grains or seeds, of grasses. The name comes from Ceres, the Roman goddess of tillage and corn. The cultivation of wild grasses marked the transition of hunter gatherers to agriculturalist. The cultivation of grains developed according to geography and climate. The main cereal grains are wheat and barley, which spread from Egypt and the Middle East to Europe, India and parts of Asia. Rice became the staple cereal of Asia; millet developed in Africa and Asia; corn and maize became the staple cereals of North and South America.
Some of these cereal crops are processed to produce the large range of breakfast cereals available on supermarket shelves worldwide. Cereal grains have also given rise to other processed foods in several food cultures, such as noodles, pasta, tortillas, couscous, polenta, as well as several flours and breads.
**
Asian Recipes **
