Cooking with ancient grains
Grown as they were many thousands of years ago, ancient grains pack a nutritious punch while being readily available on supermarket shelves and in wholefoods stores for keen foodies to embrace and enjoy in everyday cooking. More modern and common grains such as wheat, maize and rice which, over time, have undergone significant refinement, hybridisation and genetic modification can still of course be of benefit in the diet; however, as they deviate more from their original and natural state, so too can their nutrition.
Ancient grains such as amaranth, millet, einkorn, sorghum, freekeh, teff, spelt, bulgar, rye, farro, wheat berries, wild rice and kamut, however, remain largely unchanged or unrefined, offering unique properties in nutrition and diversity in flavour to meals too. If you’re keen to experience and connect with new ingredients that hold a beautiful connection to the past, ancient grains are your go-to.
Farro
Farro originated in the Mediterranean, has a mild nutty flavour, chewy texture quite similar to a brown rice. It boasts rich sources of protein, fibre, magnesium and iron. Farro is a variety of wheat, and does contain gluten; however, the gluten component is shown to be far less than that of modern, refined wheat and potentially better
