White Sonora Wheat

(Triticum aestivum) Here’s another very old wheat, dating to the time before wheat was “improved.” First brought to Arizona and the Southwest by Spanish missionaries in 1691, the “soft” grains are rounded and pale reddish in color. They make a stretchy dough that was instrumental in the development of the flour tortilla. White Sonora was the main variety available in the west, including California, up to the Civil War. This variety has recently been the object of a commercial resurgence in the Southwest, and is another type that is well tolerated by most people who suffer from celiac disease or wheat allergies. Drought tolerant, disease resistant, and highly adaptable.