The earliest 禾 is a drawing of a ripe cereal plant: a long stem, leaves spreading outward, roots below and a heavy grain head bending at the top. Scholars usually describe it as millet or standing grain rather than one exact species. The modern five-stroke character has straightened the plant, but its nodding head is still visible.
A piece of culture
Not just rice China has never had only one grain landscape: millet and later wheat were central in much of the north, while rice farming flourished in the warmer, wetter south. 禾 can represent cereal plants broadly, so it is a useful reminder that Chinese food history begins with many fields, climates and staple grains.