My scholarly colleagues in the big city will scoff at me when they read this but I actually enjoy barley. Boiled, stewed, fermented, baked, any way you can make it, I will eat it.
Not all barley plants are equal. Some make great alcohol but poor meals and others great meals but poor alcohol. Some even seem to be better suited to the harsh reality of the dry season here in Central.— Takalia, Travels in Grara
The Many-Use Grain
Barley is a common crop in
Central Grara where several varieties are cultivated. It is used as a food source, an ingredient in alcohol, and - regionally - in
rainsticks, among other uses.
Farmer's Food
This versatile grain is seen as the food of the people who grow it. Barley is not sought-after by the well-off and the wealthy. Boiled barley is seen as a meal of the poor though it is seen in soups among the lower city-dwellers as well. Not only do the wealthy dislike the grain, it is insulting to them to be offered it.
When there is an overabundance of barley, it is used to supplement the feed for livestock during the winter. Sometimes it is dried - intentionally or otherwise - and when it is reaching the end of its lifecycle it is ground into flour.
Cultivating a Lowly Crop
Despite the cultural opposition to barley, it thrives in
Central Grara where its drought-tolerance and short plant to harvest time allow it to either survive the dry season better than other crops or be harvested before the dry season begins.
A Darned Good Drink
Barley beer was a popular drink among all the classes in Grara until the last hundred years or so. The popularity is indicated in a number of old letters and books. The view of it has changed as different alcohols have been made, which are more expensive and viewed as more high-class.— Halka, On the Divisions of Class
The process of using barley to make
beer goes back well before the
Time of Rebuilding and is a part of the lives of many people in
Grara. It has seen by the wealthiest people as the drink of ruffians and the uneducated. Any variety of barley can be used to create alcohol but some make better
beer than others.
Stub Article
This article is just a stub for now and will be expanded upon later.
Old Article
This article was written in the past and does not meet my current standards for any number of article quality, layout, or content.
In-Progress Article
This article is being worked on, perhaps not at this very moment, but it is being worked on.
A Traveling Scholar
The author famous for writing the first travel guide to
Grara aptly titled
Travels in Grara is widely believed to be the leading expert on the varied cultures of the region.
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