rye

Rye is a dark strong grain used in northern breads. Rye bread, rye whiskey, a field of rye.

It grows where wheat will not — poor soil, short seasons, hard winters — which is why it feeds northern and eastern Europe. Its dough has little gluten, so rye bread is dense and usually sourdough. Ergot, a fungus of rye, has caused mass poisonings through history. Note that the word is Germanic.