All You Need to Know about “Ancient Grains”

If you worry about quality, taste and why not, your health, use stone ground flour of Ancient Grains, less gluten and more protein. There are several species of ancient grains, which were formed spontaneously in areas with different climate, altitude and soil type. Some examples.

Khorasan or Saragolla(Kamut)
Khorasan owes its name to the Egyptian word that indicates the wheat and that according to the Egyptologists also means “soul of the earth”. Ancestor of durum wheat, Khorasan reaches a height twice higher than that of common wheat and also offers a good yield even without the use of fertilizers and pesticides, is rapidly spreading as organic farming. Khorasan was discovered and brought to the US by a pilot who , during the Second World War , he had found some seeds in an ancient sarcophagus near Dashar in Egypt. Taken a handful of them , gave them to a friend who sent them to his father, a farmer of Montana, who sowed them getting plants exactly the same as those of wheat but of much larger size. The corn farmer named “grain of King Touth” and sold it as a curiosity to the local agricultural fair, but the novelty soon lost its appeal and it was only in the 80s that the interest of confornti kamut returned to flourish. Today is grown in some areas of the United States and Canada.

Timilia
The Timilia (or Tumminia) is a very valuable ancient wheat variety, typical of the Sicilian territory, endangered. Has not been subjected to genetic modifications .23.000 years ago population of the stone age use to collect wild wheat seeds.
It has not been subjected to genetic changes, then still contains news of when 23,000 years ago, populations of ETA ‘Stone wont collect seeds wheat wild . In 1974 many types of wheat underwent a modification of the DNA by irradiation of gamma rays , by this change were born wheat varieties “modern” from which flours today we get the bread and pasta everyday

Einkorn
Einkorn wheat was one of the first plants to be domesticated and cultivated. The earliest clear evidence of the domestication of Einkorn dates from 10,600 to 9,900 years before present (8,650 BC to 7,950 BC) from two archaeological sites in southern Turkey.Einkorn has a higher percentage of protein than modern red wheats and is considered more nutritious because it has also higher levels of fat, phosphorus, potassium, pyridoxine, and beta-carotene.
In contrast with more modern forms of wheat, evidence suggests the gliadin protein of einkorn may not be as toxic to sufferers of celiac disease. It has yet to be recommended in any gluten-free diet.

Buckwheat
It ‘a few decades that organic farming has rediscovered this plant, also known as wheat black but with real wheat has nothing in common. Buckwheat is rich in protein, B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, copper, magnesium and potassium in particular, does not contain gluten, its consumption is then shown and also recommended for people suffering from celiac disease.Buckwheat is a plant cultivated for its grain-like seeds, and also used as a cover crop. To distinguish it from a related species, Fagopyrum tataricum that is also cultivated as a grain in the Himalayas, and from the less commonly cultivatedFagopyrum acutatum, it is also known as Japanese buckwheat and silverhull buckwheat.
Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat, as it is not a grass. Instead, buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb. Because its seeds are eaten, it is referred to as a pseudocereal. The cultivation of buckwheat grain declined sharply in the 20th century with the adoption of nitrogen fertilizer that increased the productivity of other staples.

Amaranth
Amaranth is a plant native to Central America, essential food for the Aztecs and the Incas. Long forgotten, was rediscovered in the 60s, but is also cultivated in other parts of the world. It ‘very similar to cereals for its use in the kitchen, although not a true cereal. Amaranth is rich in protein, up to 16%, which have a high biological value because, unlike cereals true, contains almost twice as lysine, an essential amino acid which they lack almost all other cereals. It is also a good source of fiber. The absence of gluten makes it suitable to the power of those who suffer from celiac disease.
Allergic manifestations of any kind are a consequence of the anomalous relationship that man has established with nature, with the sophistication of some products. Two eating disorders, the wheat allergy and celiac disease, are becoming more frequent. Both are caused by gluten, the complex of the reserve proteins present in the grain that, with the milling, it passes in the flour. Many people, also, although not allergic or celiac, suffer from various intestinal disorders (indigestion, bloating, colic) when they eat bread, pasta and pizza, the typical foods made from wheat. Even in these cases there could be the involvement of the gluten or other components of the flour of a protein nature.
From the technological point of view the enrichment of flour in gluten facilitates the work of producers of bread and pasta, but impair the organoleptic nutritional quality that is the reason why the interest in the use of ancient grains is growing, despite that there are still a few producers of these grains.

The use of these grains for food purposes requires great attention and specific study to obtain quality products.
In this sense, the Accademia Italiana di Cucina Pandolfini pays particular attention to the use of this ancient grains, in order to exploit them and use them also in the traditional cuisine, and include them in its menu of dishes that meet the standards of good food and they are accessible to anyone who has problems of food intolerance, or simply wants to enjoy a good tasting product.

If you worry about quality, taste and why not, your health, use stone ground flour of Ancient Grains, less gluten and more protein. There are several species of ancient grains, which were formed spontaneously in areas with different climate, altitude and soil type. Some examples. Khorasan or Saragolla(Kamut) Khorasan owes…

If you worry about quality, taste and why not, your health, use stone ground flour of Ancient Grains, less gluten and more protein. There are several species of ancient grains, which were formed spontaneously in areas with different climate, altitude and soil type. Some examples. Khorasan or Saragolla(Kamut) Khorasan owes…