Buckwheat a heavyweight in nutrition

A quick and simple guide to cooking and eating buckwheat, a gluten free food

Buckwheat is a fruit seed – related to rhubarb and sorrel and nothing to do with wheat, good news for all those trying to avoid the stuff. I have seen pictures of buckwheat crops which look like a field full of white flowering weeds. The tiny seeds contain higher levels of zinc, copper, and manganese than other cereal grain. Buckwheat also provides a very high level of  protein which is well-balanced and rich in lysine (think cold sore defense).  Why then, is Buckwheat not carried on our shoulders as a food superhero? Well. there is some evidence that humans find it hard to digest the protein, so absorption is low – pre-soaking before using, makes all grains more digestible. While this makes it a less than ideal source of protein for growing children or anyone with digestive tract issues, for most of us it is a useful food to include in our diets and a must for vegetarians and those that are Gluten free.

Buckwheat’s most common forms are,  hulled groats, which can be cooked like rice. Ground  buckwheat flour, most famously used in Japanese soba noodle and french blinis and toasted groats, which does not take as long to cook. The hulls can be used as  stuffing in hypo-allergenic pillows, heating pads, and other homeopathic applications.  Interesting but how can we eat it.  Here’s how. Continue reading “The Green Folder” →