Cereals is the term attributed to a series of herbaceous plants, which produce grains; these, subjected to particular procedures, are then consumed in their original form (e.g rice), or in the form of flour (e.g wheat). From cereals also other products are obtained, for example oat flakes and bran.

Cereals, already known to prehistoric men, are now grown in great abundance all over the world. The best known and cultivated cereals are rice, wheat, corn, oats, rye, buckwheat, barley and spelt.