What is buckwheat, how to choose and store it?

Buckwheat is familiar to almost everyone, and it is difficult to find people who have not tried it at least a few times. However, even this “good friend” hides many secrets. And to know them is useful even before going to the store.

Buckwheat has several names at once - buckwheat, common buckwheat, it is edible buckwheat. The birthplace of brown cereal is India. It is in the modern borders of this country that they first began to grow such a plant for food purposes. But initially the seeds collected from the bushes have a green color. Only after heating (or rather, roasting) does the product change its tonality.

The undoubted advantage of buckwheat groats is that it reduces the permeability of the vascular walls to blood. Because this product is recommended for nutrition after various surgical interventions. Consuming it will reduce the risk of bleeding. For the same reason, buckwheat porridge and soup are not bad for pregnant women (both for their own body and for the embryo). Benefits for immunity are associated with the presence of vitamin C.

The presence of an effective antioxidant quercetin in cereals significantly reduces the risk of malignant tumors. Speaking more narrowly - about Jadritsa - then she is deservedly considered the champion among the croup in the presence of iron. Only 100 g of the product is enough to close more than 37% of the daily norm.

Therefore, buckwheat is an excellent tool to combat anemia. The same portion contains slightly more than 15% of the daily potassium consumption, which helps to balance the exchange of water and salts. The undoubted role of potassium in the hardening of blood vessels is noted. Thanks to him, the musculoskeletal system becomes stronger and healthier. Due to magnesium, feeding on buckwheat overcome insomnia and stressful states. The irritability decreases, other emotional disturbances disappear. Additionally, it is worth noting the positive effect of buckwheat for the liver and organs responsible for digestion.

It is important to remember about the negative points that may be associated with the use of buckwheat:

• It is not advisable to overly active its introduction into the children's diet;
• when you first use this product, you must carefully monitor how the body reacts;
• it is worth refusing to eat cool cooked cereals to those who suffer from constipation and bloating;
• it is unacceptable to be on a buckwheat monotonous diet for more than 4 or 5 days in a row;
• The risk group includes diabetes patients and people with impaired renal function.

Although originally buckwheat was introduced into the culture by the ancient Hindus, in our country it appeared through intermediary trade with the Byzantines. The usual ethnonym for them was the word "Greeks". That is why the so-obtained cereal and became known as buckwheat. As for the first places where it began to receive, there are two main assumptions. Some nerds believe that buckwheat was cultivated in the Indus Valley 4 thousand years ago, while other experts say that the farmers mastered the plant in the foothills of the Himalayas 2 thousand years earlier.

But thanks to the subsequent international trade, buckwheat has been used in almost every corner of the world. The undisputed leaders in its collection are:

• RF;
• PRC;
• Japan;
• United States;
• Brazil;
• Ukraine;
• Poland;
• Kazakhstan.

It is important to understand that the croup that buckwheat gives is divided into several main types. Large whole kernels, colored brown (sometimes with a yellowish sheen), are called the kernel. If the crushed kernels are further crushed, you get the so-called Smolensk cereal. Initially, the crushed grains were given the name of burnt; this eruption is sorted into large and small species. In some cases, use green grains that have not been processed.

Subjected to water and temperature, the product is intended for culinary use.It is used to make porridge and soup, make cutlets and casseroles, some other dishes. You can find on sale also buckwheat flour. However, to make dough, this flour is necessarily combined with other types of flour, so that the ready-made combination contains gluten. In terms of the content of healthy components, the absolute leader naturally turns out to be whole grains.

The concentration of other important substances is as follows:

• most starch - 55%;
• noticeably less unsaturated fatty acids - 2.3%;
• monosaccharides and disaccharides account for 1.4%;
• the least saturated fatty acids turn out to be 0.6%.

In addition to these nutrients, the buckwheat groats contain vitamin A, vitamins B1-B6. Still there are found such vitamins as E, B9, folic acid. Among organic acids, oxalic, malic and lemon varieties attract attention. The role of buckwheat in obtaining the most valuable amino acids - lysine and arginine. Among the minerals worth paying attention to:

• potassium;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• boron;
• calcium;
• zinc and a number of other components.

Buckwheat also invariably contains phenol-based substances. These are excellent antioxidants that protect the plant from oxidation. For resistance to oxidative processes, buckwheat bypasses other grains. Its taste remains attractive after long storage. The product will not go rot and will not be affected by mold, even against the background of high humidity.

Buckwheat groats, and especially porridge made from it, is one of the main dishes in Russian cuisine. It is also deservedly popular in the Ukrainian lands. The Chinese value this plant a little less. Recently, the popularity of buckwheat has grown in Europe, above all this has affected France. But still the main part of Europeans perceives buckwheat as an exotic product.

The peculiarity of culture is that its cultivation occurs without any synthetic substances. Harmful insects and buckwheat weeds are already effectively suppressed. If fertilizers are used on the plantation, it immediately spoils the taste of the product. That is why abroad, in countries with predominantly intensive farming, buckwheat is grown little. But it's not just that, there are other factors.

So, in the “homeland”, that is, in Nepal and the northern regions of India, buckwheat has now become exotic. In America, the bulk of it is sold as pet food. And even in ordinary retail chains, the product is labeled as “replacement for rice”. In China, which also got acquainted with buckwheat quite early, the most widespread tea came from it. Koreans and Japanese traditionally prefer to grind buckwheat into flour.

Despite the complication of the procedure compared to the preparation of ordinary noodles, “soba” made from buckwheat is very popular. Its high appreciation is related to the fact that it is this form that helps preserve the benefit for as long as possible. Speaking about the taste priorities of foreigners, it is worth noting the demand for buckwheat in Israel. No wonder: over half of its population has been in direct contact with the area of ​​cultivation of this plant for a long time.

Poles traditionally cook "Greek". In addition to boiled cereals, they also include minced meat. The ratio of the two components is determined by personal priorities. In far-abroad countries, for the most part, adults start trying boiled buckwheat.And here the physiology brings them an unpleasant surprise - the bitterness is immediately felt, the impression of the presence of non-natural components is created.

It is useful for a deeper assessment to compare buckwheat with barley and oatmeal - because these two cereals are also considered useful, although they like a much smaller number of people. According to some experts, buckwheat is part of a higher standard of nutrition. It is not surprising that it penetrated even such a traditional “bastion” of barley as the armed forces. Buckwheat is softer and more comfortable for people. Regarding the difference between barley and oatmeal, it only affects the quality of the protein.

If you focus only on the total amount of vitamin components and trace elements, buckwheat is better than oatmeal. But each porridge is different specific selection of important substances. And therefore it is advisable to alternate them, and not just replace one with another arbitrarily. As for fitness for losing weight, there is no difference. And barley is bad because it takes a lot longer to cook.

To understand the offer of buckwheat, which is on the modern market, you need to focus primarily on the reviews and the current GOST. Evaluation of goods by consumers allows to know it much more objectively and more accurately than the accompanying information from manufacturers, suppliers. And the official regulation contains the results of many decades of special studies and a summary of the practice of using cereals. The product supplied from the Chinese fields is darker than the Russian, but spoils much faster and less useful.

Important: the standards of the state standard clearly do not correspond to “Extra” or “Higher” grade cereals, since such varieties are not officially sold in Russia. Most often, under such markings they sell goods that are frankly defective or stale. Coarse grains are characteristic of unmarked, which is sometimes called a “cut”. First-class unground includes only a minimal amount of impurities. Moreover, pollution should apply only to three types:

• raw croup;
• small stones;
• garbage.

A second-class kernel can include no more than 5-7% of litter and other grains. A third grade implies 8-10% of dirt and foreign matter. Given these circumstances, it is not difficult to understand which sort should be used if you want to not lose time on cleaning. Any junk is suitable for crumbly porridges. If you use a bit, you can cook only a viscous dish.

Quickly boiled down porridge, which is sold almost ready, allows you to save time significantly. But the most delicious, it just will not, and the benefit is unlikely to bring. Judging by the opinion of experts, light cereal, which has undergone minimal processing, is most useful for health. As with the selection of other foods, pay attention to the shelf life. Moreover, in high-quality buckwheat, which is supplied by responsible manufacturers, this information is given on the packaging itself.

The current GOST, in contrast to the 1974 edition, allows for the presence of wheat grains in cereals of any kind. The presence of damaged nuclei is prohibited. Any croup containing the amount of E. coli detected by laboratory methods and microorganisms close to it is banned. The presence of mold fungi is strictly standardized. The moisture content of cereals from non-steamed grains is 15% maximum for prompt consumption and 14% for delivery and storage.

Speaking about the storage of a widely demanded product, it is necessary to find out what its shelf life is. Without knowing this, you can easily face the fact that cereal is bitter, and not just bitter, but becomes dangerous to health. In a well-closed container, high-quality buckwheat can be stored for up to 24 months. But this is only a deadline, but in practice it is recommended to limit ourselves to less time. Thus, unfermented in the Far East and in the Volga region, as well as in the North Caucasus Federal District, no more than 15 months are stored; 5 months longer optimal time in other localities of Russia.

For the period, these periods will be 14 and 18 months. However, even in tightly closed and inaccessible containers, actual storage may be shorter depending on the circumstances. The norm for keeping buckwheat at home are:

• relative air humidity up to 70%;
• darkness and dryness in the room;
• heating the air to 25 degrees.

If the branded packaging is opened, the jadrica should be used in about 120 days, and it should be consumed in 90 days. For green cereal shelf life when in contact with air and even less, only 60 days. The product extracted from industrial packaging may be stored only in plastic, steel or glass containers that are suitable for bulk materials. Save the grits longer by drying in the oven or weak roasting for 8-10 minutes. It is only necessary to control that the grains are not roasted, otherwise they will lose their benefit.

It is possible to prevent overmoistening of the tank with grits, using table salt. She wrapped in a gauze ball and put on the bottom of the banks. True ways of scaring off insects are garlic cloves or bay leaves.

Even the most responsible and zealous owners may face the fact that the croup has deteriorated. And it is very important to understand this in time - before bad consequences come. Certainly, it is impossible to eat the Jardice or consumed, the expiration date of which has been exhausted. Signs of trouble are:

• the union of the grains in lumps;
• the appearance of moths and worms, other insects;
• fat aging (accompanied by the appearance of a characteristic odor).

Even single insects are a sure reason to throw out cereal without a shadow of a doubt. If the expiration date is nearing its end, a deeper check must be arranged. Some of the grains are ground in a mortar and heated for 5 minutes in a water bath. Then evaluate the enhanced odor.

About the fact that there is a good buckwheat, see the next video.