All you need to know about... Buckwheat
Never cooked with buckwheat before? Wondering what it tastes like and looks like? Wondering how you cook it? Wow! So many questions; but we’ve got the answers, so read on for our Buckwheat 101.
Buckwheat is a pseudo-cereal which means it is neither grain nor grass, but is consumed as a cereal grain. Quinoa and amaranth are other common pseudo-cereals. Despite its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat at all, and is in fact gluten and grain free. Nutritionally buckwheat has more protein, fibre and B vitamins than oats or whole wheat flour. It has become popular as a health food due to its high mineral and antioxidant content and it is thought to help improve blood sugar control.
Buckwheat has a robust, earthy, grassy, hoppy, slightly bitter flavour that lends itself to a variety of dishes. It can be purchased as whole groats (little pyramid shaped seeds), toasted or raw, or as a fine flour.
If you buy raw buckwheat you can quickly toast/roast it in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until it is golden brown in colour. Buckwheat can also be cooked in a similar way to rice, by simmering in water for 18-20 minutes on the stovetop. Stir in a knob of butter when it’s cooked for a delicious taste. If you have a rice cooker you can use it to cook buckwheat just as you would white rice.
