If rye and wheat met and had a baby, it would be triticale. In real life, however, triticale exists solely because of human intervention; it did not sprout up in nature. Typically referred to as a hybrid cross, triticale shares some qualities with its parents, but has some gifts that belong solely to this largely unsung grain. Like many products of natural plant breeding, triticale had some rough early years before showing its true (and impressive!) colors. What makes triticale truly special is its level of success given its short history: Although it was commercialized less than 100 years ago, triticale is now grown on millions of acres worldwide and contributes millions of metric tons per year to global cereal production. Triticale has a bright future and we’ll surely be hearing more about this yummy grain.

Triticale’s Taste & Texture

With more than a little of wheat’s nuttiness, a smidgen of rye’s chewiness, and a dash of rye’s unique bitterness, triticale is well-suited for use in flours as well as eaten in flake or grain berry form.

What’s Great About Triticale

Triticale boasts impressive protein content for a grain. It has about the same amount of the essential amino acid lysine as wheat and, like its parent, can be stored safely for long periods.

Whether triticale can live up to its parents’ reputations comes down to, in a word, fluffiness. For despite its many admirable qualities, triticale flour just doesn’t produce the tall, plump loaf that wheat flour does by itself. (It’s a gluten thing—triticale has less of it.) Consequently, it hasn’t taken off among commercial bakers. Still, because its overall nutritional profile is higher than wheat’s, it grows better in dry areas where wheat generally requires additional fertilizer, and it’s a great co-star in mixed grain blends, we may have yet to experience triticale’s full potential. Who knows what the future holds for this adaptable grain?

Kashi’s Triticale

As one of the grains in our signature Seven Whole Grain blend, our triticale is grown in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Origins of Triticale

Scotland can claim the first triticales, which were bred in the 1870s. The first hybridization attempts produced sterile plants, but later efforts in Germany produced seed-bearing triticales in 1888. But it’s the Canadians who have really distinguished themselves as triticale proponents. Initiated in the 1950s, Canada’s development of triticales includes the first commercial spring variety and strains that possessed desired qualities—namely, the hardiness of wheat and the adaptability of rye. What drove Canada’s efforts? Among other factors, there was a desire to create a drought-tolerant grain that could be harvested in spring and had higher yields. Success!

Triticale’s Name

Triticale the cereal grain is not only a blend of wheat and rye, so is its name. Take half of wheat’s scientific name (Triticum) and half of rye’s (Secale) and—voila!—you get “triticale” (pronounced try-ta-CAY-lee).

Triticale Around the World

Triticale is a strong producer even under adverse conditions, so it’s popular among growers on many continents. Currently, the leading producers of triticale are Poland, Germany, France, Australia, China, and Belarus. In 2005, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 13.5 million tons were harvested in 28 countries across the world, quite a feat for a grain still in its infancy!

Grains, flours, and prepared foods made with triticale are available in health food and commercial stores, albeit on a more limited basis than some of the other cereal grains. Triticale is found in mixed-grain hot and cold cereals, muffins, bread, and crackers.

More 7 Whole Grains

Learn more about our 7 whole grains with these Grainipedia entries:

• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Oats
• Rice
• Rye
• Triticale
• Wheat