Flour has been part of the human diet for tens of thousands of years.

Archaeological findings show that Paleolithic hunter-gatherers were grinding wild seeds, grasses, and roots into a primitive form of flour as early as 30,000 BCE—long before agriculture began.

A grinding stone from Grotta Paglicci in southern Italy, for example, still contains starch residues from wild oats, evidence that early humans used flour-like substances to make primitive breads or porridges.

Around 10,000 BCE, with the rise of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent, humans began cultivating wheat, barley, and other cereals, which quickly became the main sources of flour.

Over the millennia, milling evolved—from stone hand tools to water and wind mills, and eventually to the industrial roller mills of the 19th century that made fine, white flour widely available.

Today, flour is made from an amazing range of plants: wheat, rye, barley, oats, rice, corn, millet, sorghum, teff, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, cassava, and more. Counting all regional and specialty flours, there are well over 100 types globally. Each culture not only favors certain grains but also classifies its flours differently—by chemical content, grind, or use—reflecting unique culinary traditions and milling practices.


🇫🇷🇮🇹🇺🇸 How Different Countries Classify Flour

France
Ash content (mineral residue after burning 100 g flour)
T45, T55, T65, T80, T110, T150
Lower number = whiter, finer flour. T45 used for pastries; T55 for baguettes; T80–T150 for rustic and wholegrain breads.

Italy
Grind fineness & protein content
00, 0, 1, 2, Integrale (wholemeal)
00 = most refined and softest (pasta, pastries); 0 = bread; 1 & 2 = coarser, more bran; Integrale = wholegrain.

United States
Intended use / gluten content
All-purpose, Bread, Cake, Pastry, Self-rising, Whole-wheat
All-purpose = general baking; Bread = high-gluten; Cake/Pastry = low-protein; Self-rising = with baking powder; Whole-wheat = wholegrain.