Crithomancy (also known as critomancy) is a form of divination by the study of barley cakes[1] in hope of drawing omens from them.
The paste of cakes which are offered in sacrifice is closely examined, and the sought-for answers are drawn from the flour which is spread upon them.
[2] The native tribes in what is now Arizona would have used a mixture of powdered grains as ritual sacrifice every morning and carried it around with them as well.
[3] The term crithomancy (from Greek κριθή krithḗ) is also used for divination by cereal grains.
[3] There were also incidents of this form of divination identified in ancient Egypt and Peru where medicine men would take signs from the shapes of randomly drawn grains of corn.