Le Sarrasin

[Buckwheat Grains]

North Americans use buckwheat to make pancakes, the Bretons use it to make les crêpes, the Italians pasta, and the Japanese soba noodles. Even Russians and Poles, who are known to consume the grain the most, employ the healthful grains in their porridges.

Contrary to the what most people think, le sarrasin is not a cereal. These seeds are really the fruit of a plant from the Polygonaceae family that also include the rhubarb. Perhaps because of its abundant nutritious qualities, it has been grouped with other cereals, though its nutty taste makes it distinct from them all at the same time.

With its Central Asian origins, buckwheat has sipped into Europe during the Middle Ages. Removed from the husk, the triangular-shaped seeds are then used to make the flour, like le blé de sarassin, used in France to make «galettes de sarrasin» (also known as «galettes de blé noir», due to the darker hue of the flour.) Other use of buckwheat flour includes a type of small russian crêpes accompanied with caviar, known as blinis.

I've listed a few reasons why you should raid the shelves of your favorite health-foodstore for these grains the next time you go grocery shopping.

Tiny grain with a boatful of benefits:
- Rich in lysine, an essential amino acid that plays a key role in the makeup of body proteins.
- Great source of Vitamin E and some vitamin B1 and B2.
- Charged with minerals like magnésium, potassium, zinc, and phosphore.
- ease in digestion and used in treatments for hemorrage and frostbite.

(A Weekend Herb Blogging post hosted by Kalyn's Kitchen.)