Buckwheat, also known as black wheat, is a pseudo-cereal from the Polygonaceae family . Gluten-free but rich in fiber, potassium and phosphorus, it is useful in case of celiac disease, against constipation and as a mood regulator. Let's discover the recipes to prepare it.
What is buckwheat
Buckwheat is not a variety of wheat. Despite the name, therefore, it is not a cereal . It belongs to the polygonaceae family (such as rhubarb and sorrel), which includes both herbs and small plants.
Along with quinoa, amaranth and chia, the pseudocereals, although not graminaceous (to which the real cereals belong), produce small fruits that resemble cereals in terms of shape, size and use, and from which flour can be obtained, once ground, gluten-free .
The nutritional values of buckwheat
Observing the data reported in the INRAN tables ( National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition ) it is observed that the dehulled buckwheat (integral) has good average nutritional values: 100 grams of buckwheat contain 343 calories .
It is a good source of potassium and phosphorus . It also contains iron and calcium . It is gluten-free and this makes it accessible even to those with intolerances or celiac disease who can use it in a "gluten free" diet .
The glycemic index is low, and easily digestible. Being the index of bio-absorption very high, it allows the use of all the nutrients it is made up of. It has a fair amount of B vitamins, and vitamin K. It also contains magnesium, a mood regulator.
Its content of flavonoids strengthens capillaries and venous walls, and reduces storage of fat at visceral level. Studies are currently being documented and experimented that report how buckwheat is part of foods that can prevent bowel cancer .
Its good fiber content helps intestinal transit. However, it is not recommended in case of colon irritation or chronic constipation.
Ever tried making buckwheat bread?
The uses in the kitchen
In northern Italy, buckwheat is best known for buckwheat flour inserted into polenta and taragna and for pizzoccheri. Used in ancient times in the cold regions there are traces of it in the culinary tradition of most of Europe. In the form of noodles called "soba", buckwheat is a food of macrobiotic cuisine.
In the kitchen you can use buckwheat either in the form of beans or as flour . It can replace rice, or other grains in grains such as wheat, spelled and barley. Being gluten-free it can replace, both in the form of grain and flour, the traditional cereals that contain it.
The whole grains deriving from organic farming can be cooked in a weight of water equal to twice the weight of cereal . It is cooked as a whole rice both in a normal pot and in a pressure cooker, with a reduced time. In normal pot the whole buckwheat (peeled) is cooked in about 20 minutes from the boiling of the water.
It can also be used uncooked: leaving it to soak for about twelve hours it is suitable for use in salads without cooking.
Briefly toast the grain makes the buckwheat more tasty and allows to enhance its particularity.
Flour can be used as a substitute for normal flours containing gluten: it is suitable for coeliacs and provides better quality nutritional values than white and refined flours.
The mixtures with the buckwheat also lend themselves to vegan diets: the high starch content makes the dough with well homogeneous and tied buckwheat flour.
Buckwheat flour, added to corn flour, can be used to prepare polenta or to cook crepes and biscuits .
There are also buckwheat flakes on the market: like all other puffed cereals they are excellent for breakfast, added to yogurt or milk (both animal and vegetable), in the preparation of sweets, muesli and also in the budwig cream of the kousmine method.
Buckwheat leaves: benefits, toxicity, use
Gluten-free vegan pizza with buckwheat flour and rice flour
Ingredients
> 150 gr of buckwheat flour
> 150 grams of rice flour
> 200 ml of water
> 1 sachet of dry yeast
> 1 pinch of salt
> extra virgin olive oil
> tomato sauce
> 200 gr of tofu (you can substitute with mozzarisella or other vegetable cheese )
> 200 grams of zucchini
> olives
> salt to taste
> oil to taste
Preparation : in a bowl add the flour to the yeast, add salt and warm water, oil and knead. When you have obtained an elastic and not very sticky dough (like any pizza dough), cover the bowl with a cloth and let it rest. In the meantime prepare the pizza stuffing: cut the thin courgettes and briefly put them in the pan in a little hot oil. Add the crumbled tofu and let it flavor. Taste and add salt according to your personal taste.
Roll out the dough on a baking paper the size of the pan which you will then use to bake the pizza. Sprinkle the surface with a little tomato puree, just to color the surface of the pizza, and bake at 190 degrees for about 10 minutes. When the pasta starts to dry and swell out of the oven, add the zucchini and tofu. Put in the oven for another 10 minutes at 180 degrees.
Variations : you can replace the tofu with the mozzarisella. In this case the cheese should not be added to the zucchini, but put on the pizza after the first baked one. Another variant is the white pizza, which is obtained simply by removing the tomato puree.
