Monday, January 4, 2010

Buckwheat A Cold Weather Must Have

This is the season to eat hearty and healthy. Buckwheat , thankfully falls under these two categories along with being tasty and extremely versatile. You can make vitamin loaded meals with this amazing herb . You can also add some flavor to a bland January diet as well. Buckwheat is great in almost everything from pancakes to pasta.

Buckwheat is surprisingly part of the herb family(Fagopyrum sagittatum Gilib) and not a cereal or a grain. it was first cultivated in Manchuria and central China and then moved west to the Arab countries. the seeds were then sown in northern Italy, Holland, Germany and Scandinavia where it grew in more or less hardy terrains. The Dutch brought it to the Hudson Valley in the mid 1600's where it was a staple of early colonial cuisine. Buckwheat is also known as kasha or groats . It is one of the best things to eat. Buckwheat is high in fiber along with being chock full of Vitamins B1 and B2. The flour lowers cholesterol and helps reduce high blood pressure . It is an excellent source of fiber and is helpful in preventing such cancers ans colon and breast. The only drawback is that it can cause rash in allergy sensitive people. if eaten too much.

Most people only eat buckwheat for breakfast. the most common is kasha cereal however it is good in griddle cakes as well. Recently I've eaten buckwheat pasta which is a dense chewy kind and buckwheat dumplings again chewy but with a nutty flavor. I actually like these buckwheat products better than their whole wheat cousins. I would love to experiment with making a buckwheat pizza or ravioli sometime,long with a buckwheat waffle. I also like the fact that the flour makes for a more robust version anything This makes for a better but much more healthier meal choice during these frigid days.

Buckwheat is definitely the food product to consider , especially during these chilly days. there's nothing like starting the day off with a stack of buckwheat pancakes or ending it with a soothing buckwheat pasta. It's a great way if dealing with winter.

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