It’s high time we jumped on the buckwheat bandwagon.
It’s high time we jumped on the buckwheat bandwagon.
The nutty pyramid-shaped grain has been around for about 8,000 years, popular in part for its high protein and mineral content. Thought to have been first cultivated in Southeast Asia, the grain quickly picked up fans around the world from Japan (soba noodles and tea) to India (kuttu ki puri: buckwheat bread) to France (galettes or buckwheat crepes).
But it’s probably the Eastern Europeans and Russians who fell hardest for buckwheat, becoming the world’s largest growers, and using the toasted form (kasha) in everything from porridge and stuffed cabbage to a Jewish comfort food dish, kasha varnishekes (toasted buckwheat, schmaltz-soaked caramelized onions and bow-tie pasta).
These days, buckwheat is gaining new fans in the gluten-free community. Despite the word “wheat” in its name, buckwheat is actually a seed, not a grain. Hence, you’ll find buckwheat in everything from gluten-free beer to noodles, even whiskey!
And I love it as a change from the usual grains in my pantry. Kasha cooks up in just about 10 minutes. Tossed with butter, it easily accompanies nearly anything you might be serving for dinner. It also makes a great bowl with leftover vegetables, some quick pickled cucumbers, an egg and some hot sauce.
Toss a handful into a frittata or your morning scramble to give it more structure. On its own, it makes a fantastic backdrop for summer’s great bounty of fruit and vegetables. Take my recipe for example: I make a zesty mint dressing and toss in some fresh stone fruit and roasted beets. Along with chunks of creamy, salty feta cheese and crunchy walnuts, it makes for a satisfying summer dinner, and a fantastic lunch at work the next day.