Also known as emmer, medium spelt or commonly only spelt, spelt dicocco (triticum dicoccum) is a cereal relatively close to wheat. It is one of the three species of the genus triticum commonly called spelt and it was one of the first eight cultivable crops. The first mentions of this cereal were found in the Mesopotamia and later also in the Bible. Spelt flour was at the basis of the diet of Latin populations. Spelt bread was consumed jointly by the spouses in the rite of cumfarreatio, the most solemn form of marriage of ancient Rome. Spelt also grows on nutrient-poor soils and in hilly areas between 300 and 1,000 m. The sowing takes place in autumn, on previously prepared soil, using dressed seeds. Soil preparation does not use herbicides. This plant is robust and does not need chemical or phytopharmaceutical fertilizers, as it is resistant to cold, diseases and weeds. The harvest, later than the wheat one, is done in summer with the normal machines used for the threshing of wheat. This cereal is available in two forms: husked or pearled. Spelt is a "clothed" cereal as the outer film of the grain is rich in fiber and very adherent. For this reason, it is not eliminated with the normal refining of the cylindrical rolls to which instead the wheat is subject. Husked spelt preserves the pericarp intact while in pearl spelt it is eliminated. Indeed, perl spelt has a much lighter colour and cooks in shorter time. Glazed spelt grain can be further ground for the preparation of pasta, bread or biscuits and spelt flour is also used in confectionery industry.