The cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare) derived from wild barley Hordeum Spontaneum, extended by the Fértil Growing from the Levant to Central Asia, and is one of the oldest domesticated cereals in the world. The barley grains appear in many pre-historic and protohistoric deposits of the Middle East, and their domestication is around the tenth millennium BC, in parallel to the first agricultural processes with wheat. Recent genetic studies indicate a complex history, with at least two domestication and subsequent mixing of wild lineage from different regions.
- Distribution and Biomas: The wild barley (H. spontaneum) occupies stony slopes, steppes and edges of open forests of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Fértil Crest and semi-arid areas of Western Asia, where it forms communities of annual grasses adapted to soft winters and dry summers. The cultivated barley (H. vulgare) has expanded to a much wider climate range, from cold and humid northern regions to semi-arid areas, thanks to its tolerance to salinity and relative drought.
- Major Producers (modern forms): Today barley is a global cereal, with large production volumes in Russia, the European Union, Australia, Ukraine and Canada, where it is mainly for feed, beer / whiskey malting and human food uses. -
Fast source:
Badr et al. 2000, "On the origin and domestication history of barley (Hordeum vulgare)" - Molecular Biology and Evolution.
Jakob et al. 2014, "Evolutionary history of wild barley (Hordeum vulgare sp. Spontaneum)" - Molecular Ecology.
Zohary et al., Domestication of Plants in the Old World (synthesis on barley). -
Guo et al. 2025, "A haplotype-based evolutionary history of barley" - Nature.
Species & Culture
Use: Food (wild barley grains) Hordeum cf. Spontaneum and possible incipient forms domesticated, ground and processed along with other cereals in food and banquet preparation contexts).
Evidence:
The analysis of macrophotanic and phytosite remains in Göbekli Tepe has identified the presence of wild barley, reported as Hordeum cf. Spontaneum, along with wild einkorn (Triticum cf. boeoticum / urartu). Although the amount of carbonized remains recovered is low, the high frequency of fatty phytolytes in sediments and moler stone surfaces indicates an intensive processing of barley and other cereals in rectangular buildings associated with food preparation activities. The "kit" distribution studies of milling (slices, hands, mortars) show limited areas of work where flour and masses were produced, probably consumed in ritual and festive contexts linked to monumental structures.
In these layers, some morphometric data from phytolytes suggest the possible presence of H. spontaneum and H. vulgare Early domesticated in the same stratigraphic units, which is interpreted as a transition scenario between wild barley collection and initial handling / domestication. For olfactory and sensory reconstruction purposes, we start from the direct evidence of Hordeum cf. Spontaneum in Göbekli Tepe, but we use the cultivated barley (H. vulgare) and its modern aromatic derivatives as an approach to the type of cereal that was processed on the site.
Fast source:
Dietrich et al. 2019, "Cereal processing at Early Neolitic Göbekli Tepe, southeastern Turkey" - PLOS ONE.
DAI - Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, "Cereals, feasts and monuments at Göbekli Tepe." -
Neef, en Neo-Lithics 2 / 03, synthesis on phytolytes and cereal macroesters in Göbekli Tepe.
Tasted barley extracts
Extract of roasted barley (solvent / ethanol): In perfumery and aromatization, extracts of roasted barley obtained from the extraction of roasted grains are used. Hordeum vulgare with ethanol or other food solvents, followed by concentration to obtain an extract rich in Maillard compounds (pyrazins, furanones, lactones) responsible for malted and roasted notes. These extracts are often placed on the market in ethanol (e.g. "Roasted Barley Extract 40%" in a 60% alcohol solution) to facilitate its dosing in perfumes and cosmetic products.
Tasted and malted profiles: During the beehive of barley, Maillard's reactions between sugars and amino acids generate a complex matrix of aromatic molecules that provide nuances of coffee, cocoa, candy, honey and freshly baked bread, which are concentrated in these extracts. The result is a brown liquid material, olfatively powerful, used in small doses to enrich gourmand chords, ambarated and gourmet.
Main Aromatic Molecules
Extracts of roasted barley (Roasted Barley Extract)
Los extractos de cebada tostada empleados en perfumería presentan un olor rico y cálido, descrito como cereal malteado, tostado, con matices de café expreso, cacao, caramelo, miel, pan fresco y ligeros recuerdos de cerveza o whisky. En composición perfumística se utilizan para aportar un carácter gourmand complejo, profundizar acordes de vainilla, café, cacao y naranja, y añadir calidez y textura a bases ambaradas, tabacosas y amaderadas. Su elevado contenido en compuestos de Maillard (especialmente pirazinas y otros heterociclos) les confiere gran tenacidad y capacidad de transformar el fondo de un perfume hacia un registro de “panadería” o destilería, afín a los entornos cerealeros que podemos imaginar asociados a los banquetes de Göbekli Tepe.
Characteristics (at the conceptual level):
Although the exact composition varies according to the manufacturer and the degree of tweets, the extracts of roasted barley concentrate families of typical molecules of cereal toasting, including pyrazins (e.g. 2-methoxypyrazins and alkyl-pyrazins with notes of walnut and coffee), furanones and lactones with caramel facets, as well as light phenolic compounds that remember beer and wood. These molecules are not usually marketed individually under the name "barley molecules," but are integrated into natural extracts themselves or in malted fantasy chords developed by aromatic houses.
Fast sources (oilseed raw materials):
- Eden Botanicals - "Barley, Roasted Extract 40%." -
- Fraterworks - "Roasted Barley Extract 40% ETH." -
- Agoratopia - note "Barley Note." -
No specific IFRA standard; it is usually declared "compliant" without limit if the supplier does not identify restricted substances.
Gluten cereal; cosmetic derivatives are generally considered safe if composition and low awareness are documented, but proteins / gluten and possible mycotoxins must be monitored.
Space under construction by collaborators.
The section Technical information and has a general arguative character. It is presented for information purposes to promote responsible knowledge. Because of the risks associated with the incorrect use of botanical extracts, aromatic molecules and the increase in unregulated practices in the production of aromatic products, Myrodia Khartes has chosen not to disclose complete extraction methodologies or specific concentrations that may compromise public safety. Health, ethics and scientific integrity guide our decision to limit the exposure of certain technical data.
- European Commission. (2009). Regulation (EC) No 1223 / 2009 on Cosmetic Products. Official Journal of the European Union, L 342, 59-209.
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IFRA (International Fragrance Association). (2023). IFRA Standards Library: 52nd Amendment.
- The Good Scens Company. (2025). Fragrance Raw Materials Database
