Olive groves, fig trees, and vineyards are the hallmarks of the Mediterranean shores. Trees, like olive, whose roots reach deep enough to find water thrive on the dry terrain. Orchards produce a variety of crops, such as almonds, walnuts, lemons, and the apricots and plums that join the candied and dried fruits in open-air Arab markets. The staple grain is wheat: semolina is ground into the flour that makes Italian pasta, the couscous of North Africa, and the eastern Mediterranean bulgar. Rice is also common -- long-grain in most regions except Italy and Spain where shorter, more glutinous varieties, such as arborio, are used for paella and risotto.