The ancient Greeks consumed barley as food that promotes fertility and clarity of mind; it gave the gladiators the strength they needed to fight, while the Chinese saw it as a symbol of masculinity.
Grki so ječmen uživali kot hrano, ki naj bi izboljševala plodnost in čistost razuma, gladiatorjem je dajal moč za boje in Kitajci so ga častili kot simbol moškosti.