In some European countries, such as France, Italy, Spain, Germany, buckwheat cannot be found in regular grocery stores. You need to look for it in pharmacies, because it is considered a medicinal and dietary product. In these countries, only “green buckwheat” is sold (any buckwheat in an unprocessed raw form has a green color).
Buckwheat is also called “the queen of cereals”, this name fully justifies itself. It surpasses all cereals in the content of vitamin P, it contains a huge amount of magnesium (Mg), B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, B8, B9). Buckwheat contains vitamin E, which is one of the most powerful antioxidants, useful organic acids (oxalic, citric and some others). It contains omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid. This cereal is ideal for dietary and baby food.
By the way, buckwheat cooked in a multicooker retains more of its useful properties, and is also very fragrant and tasty.
To please yourself and your loved ones with a delicious side dish called “buckwheat porridge”, you need to be able to choose high-quality cereals.
Learning to choose the right buckwheat
So, today we will learn to choose buckwheat.
First of all, when choosing buckwheat groats, you need to pay attention to the country of origin. Chinese groats have a more intense dark brown color, but they are much inferior in quality to the Russian manufacturer, they are more moist and subject to spoilage faster. This cereal is brown in color because it is heat treated (fried). Such cereals contain fewer nutrients.
When choosing buckwheat, be sure to pay attention to whether the GOST standard is indicated on the packaging. This is an important indicator of the quality of a product. Read on the package with cereals to what grade it belongs. If it contains varieties such as “Extra” or “Higher”, this only indicates that the groats are of poor quality. According to the good old GOST, such varieties of buckwheat do not exist. Usually, the packaging with the names “Extra” and “Higher” hides cereals from Asian countries, or cereals with an expired shelf life.
It is not always possible to determine the freshness of the cereal through the packaging. Moldy or musty odors from packaging are often not detectable. Therefore, if at home, having unpacked the packaging, you found extraneous odors, you should know that the cereal is spoiled, and you have every right to return it to the store.
Buckwheat – types and varieties
Good buckwheat is divided into 2 types and 3 varieties.
Types of buckwheat
The kernel is a whole grain without a hard shell.
Prodel – divided into small and large, it is split buckwheat grains. In common people it is called “buckwheat chaff”. This type of cereal is not divided into varieties.
Buckwheat varieties
The core of the first grade contains a minimum of impurities in the form of small pebbles, unprocessed grains and litter.
The core of the second grade can contain from 5 to 7% litter and other types of grain in a pack.
The core of the third grade contains from 8 to 10% litter and foreign impurities.
If you don’t really want to waste time sorting out cereals, choose the first grade kernel.
Also, when choosing buckwheat, pay attention to what kind of porridge you want to get. So from the kernel you get an excellent crumbly porridge, and from the done you get an exceptionally viscous porridge.
Other types of buckwheat
Now in stores on the shelves you can find quick-cooking porridge, fried and steamed. This type of cereal, of course, will be cooked in a fairly small amount of time, but you will receive a minimum of benefits from it, since the beneficial properties and vitamins from the past processing of buckwheat evaporate by half.
To get the most out of the use of buckwheat, you should choose lighter buckwheat. The lighter the buckwheat, the less processing it went through.
Storage of cereals
Remember that the shelf life of buckwheat does not exceed 20 months. Therefore, when choosing, carefully study the date of production and packaging of the product. Never take cereals with a date stuck on their original packaging. The date of production and packaging must always be stamped directly on the packaging of the goods!
After purchasing buckwheat groats in a store, it is not recommended to store it in its original packaging. It is best to pour the cereals into a special glass or enamel jar for cereals, and store it in a dry, cool, dark place under a tightly closed lid.
Buckwheat flour
Many department stores and shops offer buckwheat flour. Pancakes, flat cakes and pancakes are very tasty from buckwheat flour. But, due to the insufficient content of gluten in buckwheat, it is not suitable for baking bread, pies and other bakery products.