77 Square has an article today called "The demand for heritage grains explodes".
It's pretty interesting and I take it that any grain that isn't wheat is considered "heritage". I can personally vouch for the tastiness of the spelt flakes breakfast cereal at the Co-op but the piece's entry for barley is a bit odd.
Barley: Familiar to many, this is an unusually hardy ancient grain that's at least 4,000 years old. It's used in baked goods, soups and hot cereals.
First, is barley really a "heritage" grain? I mean, most Wisconsonians consume barley everyday. And what else is barley commonly used for besides, baked goods, soups, and hot cereals? How could a Wisconsin journalist neglect to mention that barley is familiar to many people because it is an ingredient in beer? Hello?! McFly!
Buckwheat. Mmmm...you don't need to grind it up. You do have to cook the groats for a long time, though. Very tasty stuff. Hey 77 Square - it's also a staple in Eastern Europe as well. We Slavs love the stuff.
The problem with article is it doesn't explain what "heritage" means. It assumes everyone already has that knowledge. When something is a heritage grain It's a specific strain of that grain are much more difficult to grow than the ones we mass consume and due to that are in danger of being lost. Handfuls of farmers specialize in growing heritage grains. So, yes, there are strains of barley, for example "Jet Barley," that are "heritage."
ReplyDeleteThe article doesn't make that clear. At all.
I agree with you that the article gets a big fail by not defining "heritage". To me, a heritage grain is one that isn't necessarily more difficult to grow but one that isn't common for any number of reasons. Difficulty in growing is one, but food fashion comes and goes. Demand for a certain product could lead to farmers growing the grains that make it up and eschewing others. It just becomes habit, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteThis is a guess, mind you, as I don't know why, say, spelt fell out of fashion.