Key Difference: Barley, belonging to the Hordeum genus of the Plantae kingdom is a member of the grass family and is considered as a cereal grain. Barley has various different uses including bread, cereal, animal fodder, for fermenting beer and other distilled beverages, soups, stews, bread and algicide. Wheat, belonging to the Triticum genus, under the Plantae kingdom is also a member of the grass family and is considered as a cereal grain. Wheat is used in various applications around the world. The most common usage of wheat includes as a staple food in many countries such as flour and bread.

Barley and wheat are two common types of grains that are part of the grass family. These are a common part of our daily diet. Due to their similarities in nature and appearance, they are often confused as the other but are very different from each other. Both of them are essential foods for carbohydrates and most importantly fiber that is necessary for digestive health. See the difference Soluble fiber Vs. Insolube Fiber.

Barley, belonging to the Hordeum genus of the Plantae kingdom is a member of the grass family and is considered as a cereal grain. The term ‘barley’ is derived from the Old English word ‘bære’, which can be traced back to Proto-Indo-European, similar to the Latin word for flour. Barley was one of the first domesticated grains in the Fertile Crescent, northeast Africa. It appeared around the same time as einkorn and emmer wheat. Barley is a self-pollinating, diploid species with 14 chromosomes.

Wild barley has a brittle spike, which upon maturity separate and gives off seeds. The domesticated barley, most commonly used in today’s world, has non-shattering spikes, which are much easier to harvest when matured. There are different types of barley: Two-row barley, six-row barley, and hulled barley. In two-row barley, there are actually three spikelets, which are arranged in triplets alternating along the rachis. The center spikelet is the only one that is fertilized, while the other two are reduced. In six-row barleys, a pair of mutations result in fertile lateral spikelets. The two-row barley has a lower protein content compared to six-row barley, thus more fermentable sugar content. The third type of barley, known as hulless barley is a form of domesticated barley which makes it easier to remove the hull.

Barley has various different uses including bread, cereal, animal fodder, for fermenting beer and other distilled beverages, soups, stews, bread and algicide. The most common usage of barley is in beer and malt, where it is used as fermentation material in these beverages. Barley is considered to be high in carbohydrates, fat, protein, dietary fiber, vitamin B, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, folate, riboflavin, etc.  Since it also contains good fat and low bad fat, it is considered to be a good dieting food in order to lose weight.

Also see: Difference between multigrain whole grain and whole wheat

Barley is also associated with many health benefits; the fiber in barley reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and can lower cholesterol. Barley can also reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and colon cancer. It also has fewer calories and is a great dieting food.

Wheat, belonging to the Triticum genus, under the Plantae kingdom is also a member of the grass family and is considered as a cereal grain. Wheat is also one of the first cereals that have been domesticated along with barley. It was also easy to domesticate because of its ability to self-pollinate. Wheat originates from the Levant region of the Near East and Ethiopian Highlands.

There are various different kinds of wheat species including wild wheat, einkorn wheat, and common wheat. Common wheat is the wheat that is most popularly used worldwide and its scientific name is Triticum aesativum. It is a hexaploid, which contains six sets of the chromosome. It is the third most-produced cereal in the world, according to a 2010 studies. Wheat can be planted in two seasons, spring (known as spring wheat) and winter (known as winter wheat). Wheatgrass can grow between 2 and 4 feet tall. It resembles other grass cereals, with a tall stalk that ends in a tightly formed cluster of kernels close to the top. When wheat matures, the stalk usually bends due to the weight of the kernels.

Wheat is used in various applications around the world. The most common usage of wheat includes as a staple food in many countries such as flour and bread. It is also used as mulch, construction material, fermentation of distilled alcoholic beverages, biofuel and animal bedding. Wheat can be consumed in three different forms, the most commonly known as white wheat, where the whole wheat is stripped down to the endosperm, removing the bran and the germ. The bran and germ can be packaged and sold separately. Wheat that is not stripped and sold whole, with bran and germ is known as whole-wheat and offers the most health benefits.

Wheat offers protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, vitamin B, folate, calcium, manganese, zinc, potassium, and starch. It is said to offer health benefits such as fewer carbohydrates, helps reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, lessens chronic inflammation, helps prevent gallstones, provides protection against breast cancer, etc.

Difference between Barley and Wheat:

Also see: The difference between oats and wheat 

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