The significance of grains in Syrian history cannot be overstated. During the early twentieth century, 50 to 90% of the average Syrian diet consisted of wheat and grains such as barley, sorghum, and corn. Wheat was also integral to the Syrian economy: in 1920, three quarters of farmed lands were planted with cereals, half of which were wheat. In remote areas of Syria where cash transactions remained rare until after World War II, grain was used as barter. Bread and burghul, parboiled wheat, were eaten at almost every meal, particularly among poorer classes for whom the cost of meat and vegetables was prohibitive. Bread has been a staple of Syrian cuisine for around ten thousand years; in many ways, Syrians of the 20th century consumed breads that would have been familiar to their ancestors. In other ways, as a result of climactic changes, colonialism and technological innovations, the production, procurement and consumption of grain products underwent significant changes. Climate fluctuation and market irregularities that affected the price of grain had an impact on the entire country, whether reflected in bread prices, the need to import grain from abroad, or the purchasing power of grain producers. The expansion of roads and the use of motor vehicles along with the introduction of mechanized milling during the interwar period led to a greater dependence on sources outside of one’s quarter or village for flour. Instead of grinding flour on handheld mills at home or at a local mill, rural Syrians brought their wheat to larger motor-powered mills miles from home. During times of dearth, some millers were known to add adulterants to flour. An increase in imports from abroad, a burgeoning middle class, and changing tastes, as well as the creation of Western nutritional science during the interwar years resulted in changes in eating habits, particularly among Syrians of means and urbanites. Rice became more and more affordable, and those with more money increased their consumption of meat and other foods in place of wheat. With the use archives, ethnographic research, contemporaneous memoirs, and economic data, this paper will examine the material history of bread and grains in Syria during the 20th century, with a focus on the interwar period. The cultivation, storage, preparation, purchase and consumption of these foods will be illustrated, in order to determine the changes in practice that took place, as well as those factors that remained constant.