Seeds - Seeds As Food

There are numerous examples of the use of seeds as food for humans. The seeds may be eaten directly, or used to manufacture flour, starch, oil, alcohol, or some other edible products. The seeds of certain agricultural grasses are especially important foodstuffs, for example, those of wheat (Triticum aestivum), rice (Oyza sativa) maize (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and barley (Hordeum vulgare). Other edible seeds include those of the legumes, the second-most important family of plants after the grasses, in terms of providing foods for human consumption. Examples of legumes whose seeds are eaten by people include the peanut (Arachis hypogaea), soybean (Glycine max), lentil (Lens esculenta), common pea (Pisum sativum), and common bean (P. vulgaris). Other edible seeds include those of the coconut (Cocos nucifera), walnut (Juglans regia), pecan (Carya illinoensis), and sunflower (Helianthus annua).

Many other seeds are eaten with their fruits, although it is generally the encasing fruit walls that are the sought-after source of nutrition. A few examples of edible fruits include those of the pumpkin or squash (Cucurbita pepo), bell pepper (Capsicum anuum), apple (Malus pumila), sweet cherry (Prunus avium), strawberry (Fragaria vesca), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), and sweet orange (Citrus sinensis).