Cereal
<p ><b>Cereals</b> are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poaceae" title="Poaceae" >grasses</a> (members of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monocotyledon" title="Monocotyledon" >monocot</a> family <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poaceae" title="Poaceae" >Poaceae, also known as Gramineae</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cereal#cite_note-0" >[1]</a></sup> cultivated for the edible components of their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_grain" title="Food grain" >grain</a> (botanically, a type of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit" title="Fruit" >fruit</a> called a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryopsis" title="Caryopsis" >caryopsis</a>), composed of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endosperm" title="Endosperm" >endosperm</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cereal_germ" title="Cereal germ" >germ</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran" title="Bran" >bran</a>. </p>
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Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities and provide more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop<sup class="Template-Fact" >[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" >citation needed</a></i>]</sup>; they are therefore <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staple_food" title="Staple food" >staple crops</a>.</p>
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In their natural form (as in <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_grain" title="Whole grain" >whole grain</a></i>), they are a rich source of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin" title="Vitamin" >vitamins</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral" title="Mineral" >minerals</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate" title="Carbohydrate" >carbohydrates</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat" title="Fat" >fats</a>, oils, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein" title="Protein" >protein</a>. However, when refined by the removal of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran" title="Bran" >bran</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cereal_germ" title="Cereal germ" >germ</a>, the remaining <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endosperm" title="Endosperm" >endosperm</a> is mostly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate" title="Carbohydrate" >carbohydrate</a> and lacks the majority of the other nutrients.</p>
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In some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_nation" title="Developing nation" class="mw-redirect" >developing nations</a>, grain in the form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice" title="Rice" >rice</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat" title="Wheat" >wheat</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet" title="Millet" >millet</a>, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize" title="Maize" >maize</a> constitutes a majority of daily sustenance.</p>
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In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developed_nations" title="Developed nations" class="mw-redirect" >developed nations</a>, cereal consumption is moderate and varied but still substantial.
The word <i>cereal</i> derives from <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(Roman_mythology)" title="Ceres (Roman mythology)" class="mw-redirect" >Ceres</a></i>, the name of the Roman goddess of harvest and agriculture.</p>