Buckwheat - a real taste of Russia

It is widely thought that buckwheat was taken to Russia from Greece. Buckwheat translates into Russian as 'grechka' which sounds like Greece. However, many Europeans do not even know about the existence of this cereal grain. In Russia, it is an extremely popular meal that every Russian eats on a regular basis. It is impossible to imagine the Russian cuisine without buckwheat. Grechka has even become one of the symbols of Russian national peculiarity.

Unfortunately, the year 2011 is not a good year for those who like buckwheat. The Russian harvest of this grain was much poorer than before because of the hot summer of 2010. Many Russian agricultural companies began to purchase buckwheat from China. Chinese buckwheat is of worse quality and poorer flavor.

As for Russia-grown buckwheat, there are two types of its available in grocery stores: peeled and crushed buckwheat. Peeled buckwheat is of higher quality because it is whole kernels of buckwheat separated from fruit walls. Crushed buckwheat does not contain as much vitamins and fiber as whole buckwheat has, but it is better for babies.

It is not recommended to store buckwheat for a long period of time. The fats will get rancid, the flavor will get worse and so will the nutritional qualities. According to dietitians, buckwheat is the healthiest grain. Unlike oatmeal or manna groats, buckwheat is five or six times richer with microelements such as iron, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins B and fiber, which removes toxins from the body. Buckwheat is also very good for those who want to lose weight.

Vadim Kirillov

Medpulse

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