These tiny three sided pyramidal seeds, about 0.15 inches long, are
incorrectly called "kasha" in the U.S. - in Russia "kasha" is any grain
cooked to a porridge consistency. Buckwheat was so important to Russians
that an early Russian Olympic team, when they found they couldn't get
grechnevaya kasha in Paris, packed up and went home.
Buckwheat is sold as "groats", the edible part of the seed after the fibrous hull has been removed. The photo shows roasted groats to the left, the way they're usually sold in the U.S. and unroasted to the right (purchased from a Korean grocery in Los Angeles). Buckwheat is also sold ground into flour, which is mixed with wheat flour to make buckwheat pancakes in the U.S. and soba noodles in Japan. Buckwheat greens are toxic to humans, but sprout enthusiasts do sprout the seeds and eat them at four to five days of growth. Buckwheat is also sprouted and malted to make gluten free beer for those allergic to gluten.
The hulls left from making groats are often used as upholstery filling and
to fill pillows for people allergic to feathers. Buckwheat hulls are durable
and have better heat transfer properties than synthetics.
Buying: Better (though less convenient) to buy unroasted buckwheat
and do the roasting yourself as commercially roasted buckwheat sometimes
has a rather burned flavor. Unroasted is recognizable by being
light green and white as to the right in the photo.
Recipes:
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©Andrew Grygus
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