The market · Grains and flours · Northern and Central Europe, East Asia
Buckwheat
Not a wheat, nor strictly a grain — the seed of a plant related to sorrel and rhubarb. Earthy, nutty and gluten-free.
earthy · nutty · toasty
Kinds
- Roasted groats (kasza gryczana)
- Brown and toasty; cooked like rice in Poland and Russia.
- Raw groats
- Pale green and milder.
- Flour
- For soba, blini and Breton galettes.
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Polish and Eastern European shops sell roasted kasza cheaply.
- Worth knowing
- Toast the groats in a dry pan, or coat them in beaten egg first, and they cook up separate rather than mushy.