Five grains include rice, millet, millet, wheat and beans.

1. Rice: dào

Rice is one of the most important food crops for mankind, with a long history of cultivation and consumption. Half of the world's population eats rice, mainly in Asia, southern Europe and parts of tropical America and Africa. The total output of rice ranks third in the world's food crop output, lower than corn and wheat, but it can sustain the lives of a larger population.

2. Millet: shǔ

Millet is a kind of minor grain in China. It is an annual grain crop that turns golden yellow when mature. It is an important grain crop in northern China. In Datong, Shanxi Province, Xinzhou area. After the millet is peeled, it is called yellow rice. This kind of rice is sticky and is one of the raw materials for making rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of May. In addition, after millet is ground into flour, it is also an ingredient for making oil cakes.

3. Ji: jì

Also known as millet, in the north it is called millet. Millet is shelled into millet. Its grains are small, with a diameter of about 1 mm. Millet is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. It originated in the Yellow River Basin in northern China and was the main food crop in ancient China.

So the Xia Dynasty and Shang Dynasty belonged to the "millet culture". Millet grows tolerant to drought and has many varieties. It is commonly known as "millet has five colors". There are white, red, yellow, black, orange, purple and other colors of millet, as well as sticky millet. The earliest wine in China was also brewed from millet.

4. Wheat: mài

Wheat is one of the three major cereals. Almost all of it is used for food, and only about one-sixth is used as feed. Mesopotamia is the first region in the world to cultivate wheat, and China is one of the earliest countries in the world to cultivate wheat.

It is a cereal crop widely grown around the world. The caryopsis of wheat is one of the staple foods of mankind. After being ground into flour, it can be made into bread, steamed buns, biscuits, noodles and other foods. After fermentation, it can be made into wheat flour. into beer, alcohol, liquor (such as vodka), or biomass fuel.

5. Bean: dòu

Originally produced in China, it is cultivated in various parts of China and is also widely cultivated in various parts of the world. Soybean is one of the important food crops in China. It has a cultivation history of 5,000 years. It was called Shu in ancient times and is mainly produced in Northeast China. It is a crop whose seeds are rich in plant protein. Soybeans are most commonly used to make various soy products, extract soybean oil, brew soy sauce and extract protein.

Extended information:

The theory of "five grains" appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. "The Analects of Confucius·Wei Zi" states: "If the four bodies are not diligent, the five grains will not be separated." But the explanations are different. One says it is millet, millet, wheat, bean, and rice; the other says it is millet, millet, wheat, bean, and hemp.

The main difference between the two statements is the presence or absence of rice and hemp. The reason for the disagreement is that there were more than five types of crops at that time, "one hundred grains", "six grains" and "nine grains" The existence of said is a clear evidence, and the types of crops in different places are different.

The reason why the "five grains" theory is popular is obviously influenced by the thought of the five elements. Therefore, generally speaking, grains refer to several major food crops.

According to historical records, the earliest cultivation of "grains" appeared in the Shang and Zhou dynasties of my country. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, my country was in a prosperous period of slavery society. The types of crops grown by people increased, and the state strongly supported the development of agriculture. The "well field system" implemented collective labor, which improved labor productivity.

A complete drainage irrigation system also appeared during this period, and people began to use manure, green manure, and plant ash. These conditions enabled the further development of agriculture during the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Five Grains