Wheat is an annual (probably derived from a perennial) that grows best where the weather is cool during its early growth. Modern wheat varieties are usually classified as winter wheats (fall-planted and unusually winter-hardy) and spring wheats (spring-planted). Hard-kerneled varieties (hard wheats) yield flour with a high gluten content, used to make breads; soft-kerneled ones (soft wheats) are starchier, and their flour is used to make cakes and biscuits. Durum wheat is a very hard-kerneled wheat used in pasta products. Wheat is also used in the manufacture of beer and whiskey, and the grain, the bran (the residue from milling), and the rest of the plant are valuable livestock feed. Wheat was one of the first grains to be cultivated: bread wheat was grown in the Nile River valley by 5000 BC. Major modern wheat-producing areas include North America, China, Western Europe, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Australia.
