Buckwheat

Buckwheat, buckwheat, hmm…

Haven’t you heard that name before? Haven’t you yet cooked with buckwheat? Or baked? Or you simply – do not like it?

But wait, it’s toasty, nutty flavor…!

Fagopyrum esculentum, pohanka, Alfofón, Blé Noir or simply – buckwheat! The relative of rhubarb or sorrel, a member of a little group of pseudocereals, where also quinoa or amaranth belong to.

Buckwheat is a native of central Asia, was cultivated in China and India, and was brought to northern Europe during the Middle Ages. In the colder northern regions with shorter growing seasons, buckwheat has been valued for it’s tolerance to poor growing conditions and getting mature in only a little longer than two months.

I’ve (re)discovered buckwheat just recently, when getting through texts of Dr Jennie Brand-Miller, a nutritionist well known for her work on the glycemic index – a number on the scale 0 – 100, that express how carbohydrates-containing food affect the increase of blood sugar during two hours after eating ( food with high GI can spike your blood sugar very quickly while food with low GI keeps your blood sugar steady). Just for comparison, while, for example, white rice has the glycemic score around 89, buckwheat reaches only GI 49. (The general rule is that low-glycemic foods have scores of less than 55, moderate between 55 – 70 and high-GI foods have an index over 70.)

Now, you might be wondering how can a cereal have that low GI (a regular wheat bread, after all, has usually GI around 70).

Well, despite it’s name, buckwheat is unrelated to wheat!

Buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth are not members of the grass family and therefore aren’t cereals – but since their seeds are very similar to those of cereals, they are usually used in similar ways.

Moreover, as a pseudocereal, buckwheat is also naturally gluten free and therefore safe for those with celiac disease!

Last but not least, buckwheat is also rich in fibre, which brings even more benefits.

First, according to the American Heart Association, dietary fibre can help to improve blood cholesterol levels, which can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and diabetes. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/whole-grains-refined-grains-and-dietary-fiber

Secondly, dietary fiber, as a carbohydrate that our bodies cannot break during digestion, helps food to move through the digestion track – and therefore, since being rich in fiber, buckwheat is a good choice also for digestive health.

For those who are still not persuaded and hesitate if one should try using buckwheat or not, I’ll add that besides its already listed benefits (and delicious taste!) buckwheat is also a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. 100g of buckwheat (343 kcal) contain 71.5 g carbohydrates (10 g dietary fiber), 3.4 g fat (78.0 mg Omega-3 fatty acids), 13.2 g protein, 460 mg potassium, 347 mg phosphorus, 231 mg magnesium, 18 mg calcium, 8.3 mg of selenium, 2.4 mg of zinc, 2.2 mg of iron, 1.3 mg manganese, 1.1mg copper and 1.0 mg sodium. Buckwheat also contains vitamins, including thiamin, vitamin B-6, folate, niacin and riboflavin. https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5681/

Personally, I was hesitating to use buckwheat because of the cooking part – blah, seriously? Cooking buckwheat is as simple as cooking rice, and even faster!

Buckwheat is really easy to cook – the ratio is 3:1 water to buckwheat groats. Just put together water and buckwheat in a small or medium pan, depending on the amount of buckwheat you’re preparing, and once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and let buckwheat, covered with a lid, cook slowly until it absorbs all liquid. It usually takes between 10 and 15 minutes.

When water is absorbed, turn the heat of and let the buckwheat rest for 10 minutes – it will continue the cooking process in it’s own steam.

Buckwheat can be used for both sweet and savoury meals – when so, I suggest not to add salt to the water for cooking. I think it enhances the bitterness of buckwheat – but that is, honestly, just my opinion.

On the other hand, I love to add cinnamon to water when cooking buckwheat for porridge. Try it, it’s truly delicious! 🙂