Buckwheat is not a grain, a cereal, or a grass, and it’s not related to wheat. Buckwheat is a triangular shaped seed related to rhubarb and sorrel. It looks and acts like a grain and has a hearty, nutty flavor.
To make things confusing, it is often referred to as a grain.
Buckwheat is a good substitute for wheat or grains containing gluten. It cooks quickly, and is highly nutritious. Great news for those who are wheat or gluten sensitive.
Buckwheat is sold either raw or toasted. It can be mixed with rice, or other grains or seeds. Toasted Buckwheat sometimes called kasha, has a more nutty flavor than raw buckwheat. Either way it’s a wonderful side dish when sauteed with onions.
How To Cook With Buckwheat
Buckwheat Bread: Bake bread with buckwheat flour.
Buckwheat Morning Cereal: Cook raw, or toasted buckwheat seeds in water to make cereal. Add fruit, cinnamon, salt, maple syrup, and hemp milk according to taste.
Buckwheat Pancakes: Use buckwheat flour for morning pancakes.
Buckwheat Side Dish: Combine either cooked raw buckwheat, or cooked toasted buckwheat with sauteed onions, for a delicious side dish.
Japanese Buckwheat Noodles: Prepare the noodles. Serve with sauteed vegetables.
Barley: Barley is a hearty grain that compliments winter meals. Add to soups, and stews, or combine with sautéed onions and celery. Contains gluten.
Corn: Use cornmeal flour to bake delicious muffins, and breads. Corn flour is also used in making pasta. Contains a type of gluten different from that found in wheat.
Kamut: A firm-textured ancient wheat with a nutty, sweet and buttery flavor. Contains gluten.
Farro: An ancient Italian grain that may have sustained the Roman Legions.
Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
Farro is used in soups, salads, and desserts. Looks and tastes somewhat like brown rice, with a nutty taste. Farro is also known as Emmer. Contains gluten.
Millet: A tiny grain, that looks like a seed. Use it like rice as a side dish, or in a casserole. Gluten-free.
Oats: A sweet-flavored grain commonly used in preparing warm cereal, and cookies. Oats contain avenin, a protein that may trigger a reaction in celiacs.
Rice: Varieties include Brown, White, Short and Long Grain. Sticky White Rice is used in preparing sushi rolls. White and Brown Basmati is another variety with a rich nutty flavor. Gluten-free.
Whole Wheat Linguine
Rye: Rye is a member of the wheat family, and is used in bread making, and Scandinavian crispbreads, and crackers. Contains gluten.
Spelt: An ancient variety of wheat. Spelt produces baked goods lighter in texture and easier to digest than standard wheat. Contains gluten.
Triticale: This grain is a hybrid of rye and wheat. Triticale flour is used to bake muffins, breads, cakes, and crispbreads. Contains gluten.
Wheat: The most widely known grain used in baking breads, cookies, cakes, noodles, pasta, and pies. Contains gluten.
SEEDS
The seeds on this list are used the same way as grains. Common uses are breakfast cereals, side dishes, and casseroles. Seeds are available as flour for baking. If you’re wheat intolerant, try using seeds. They’re lighter than wheat, and have their own unique taste.
Amaranth: A very tiny seed used in making breakfast cereal, added to soups and stews. Gluten-free.
Buckwheat: Buy Toasted Buckwheat, or Raw. Use in soups, or as a side dish. Whole Buckwheat flour makes great pancakes. If you don’t mind the dark brown color, buckwheat can be used to make cookies, and sweet breads. Gluten-free.
Quinoa: A small seed, that comes in white, black or red. Add fruit and nuts to Quinoa to make a tasty breakfast porridge Trader Joe’s sells their own brand of penne and fusilli pasta made from Quinoa and Rice. Gluten-free.
Teff: Teff is an ancient seed, cultivated for thousands of years in Abyssinia. Teff seeds are about the same size as a poppy-seed. Teff comes in white, red and dark brown. Teff flour is used to bake breads, and pie crust. The seeds can be steamed, boiled, and baked. Gluten-free.
GRAIN & SEED GALLERY
SPELT GRAINS
RYE BREAD
BROWN RICE GRAINS
RICE NOODLES
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
WHEAT GRAINS
MILLET GRAINS
Raw buckwheat seeds
BUCKWHEAT NOODLES
Irene Pastore is a native New Yorker, health and fitness blogger, and personal trainer. Irene owns this website, and writes all the blog posts. For her complete bio, visit the About Page.
Buckwheat is not a grain, a cereal or grass, and it’s not related to wheat. To make things confusing, it is often referred to as a grain. The term “groat” means the whole grain. Food packages are sometimes labeled whole
RAW UNCOOKED BUCKWHEAT
buckwheat groats. If you’re wheat, or gluten sensitive, cooking with buckwheat allows you to have all the foods you enjoy without the side effects.
Buckwheat looks and acts like a grain. It’s actually a triangular seed related to rhubarb and sorrel. It’s a good substitute for wheat, or grains containing gluten. Buckwheat cooks quickly, and is highly nutritious. Continue reading “Buckwheat: It’s Not A Grain and It’s Gluten-Free”
Irene Pastore is a native New Yorker, health and fitness blogger, and personal trainer. Irene owns this website, and writes all the blog posts. For her complete bio, visit the About Page.
Irene Pastore Fitness.com 