THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 23, 1996 TAG: 9610220028
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO FLAVOR
LENGTH: 194 lines
GRAINS ARE GREAT.
The Aztecs knew it. The ancient Egyptians knew it.
And contemporary Americans know it.
Unless they've been asleep in a field of grains the last few years, that is.
Since the mid '80s, the USDA's dietary guidelines have recommended that we eat six to 11 servings of grains daily, a corn-stalk-high leap over the four servings advocated back in the days when meat and milk were considered nutritional powerhouses.
Grains have made gains because we've discovered that those tiny kernels in lackluster beiges and browns glow with good nutrition. Grains, especially whole grains, are rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins, minerals and amino acids. A diet high in grains may even reduce the risk of digestive disorders, heart disease and some cancers, according to scientific research.
Dietitian Helenbeth Reiss Reynolds of Minnesota, who has done research on fiber's effects on blood cholesterol, says: ``Increasing the amount of grains we eat can help decrease the number of fatty-food choices we make.
``Eating grains gives the feeling of satiety,'' added Reynolds, who is a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
For many primitive cultures, grains were a dietary staple that stuck to the ribs as tribespeople did battle, farmed, and invented things. The Aztecs ate amaranth, quinoa made the Incas strong and rice has sustained the Orient for thousands of years.
Wheat, in the form of white flour, is the grain most familiar to Americans. But a loaf of spongy white bread, unfortunately, does not have the rib-sticking properties of the Inca's quinoa, dubbed a supergrain.
Refined grains, like white flour that is wheat stripped of its bran and germ, are nutritionally inferior to whole grains, which leave intact the kernel's bran (where cellulose is stored), its germ (which is rich in protein, vitamins and fat) and its endosperm (the source of complex carbohydrates). Wheat in the form of berries, bulgur, unprocessed bran and wheat germ upstages white bread, nutritionally speaking.
The experts therefore recommend choosing grains that have been minimally processed - old-fashioned grits or oats instead of instant; brown rice instead of white; stone-ground cornmeal, which still contains the germ.
And nutritionists endorse including lesser-known grains in the diet, easy to do because many of these, even older grains like millet, are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Many alternative grains have a protein far superior to run-of-the-mill wheat.
This doesn't mean that you must confront an unexciting bowl of what looks like Charles Dickens porridge every morning. Or bake bread from scratch. Grains work in soups, salads, stuffings, stews, even desserts like puddings. Each has a distinctive taste. Strong-flavored buckwheat and rye can dominate a dish. Barley and couscous, more mellow, blend well with highly seasoned foods.
Grains are simple to cook. Many are done after one part grain has simmered in two parts water for about 20 minutes. Some, like barley, need more water and more time. Ideally, grains are cooked when all the liquid has been absorbed. But doneness is a matter of taste, so a few grains should be sampled. If they crunch, they are undercooked. If they are mushy, they are overcooked.
When you expand your grain repertoire, getting your six to 11 daily will become easy and enjoyable. One grain serving equals one slice of bread, one ounce ready-to-eat cereal, a half cup cooked hot cereal, rice, grain or pasta. MEMO: Mary Flachsenhaar is a free-lance writer in Norfolk. All of the
accompanying recipes have been tested by the author and are reprinted
with permission of the cookbook publishers. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
MOTOYA NAKAMURA
The Virginian-Pilot
GRAINS: A GLOSSARY
Amaranth - A staple in the Aztec diet 500 years ago, this
gold-colored, black-flecked grain is being rediscovered after
centuries of obscurity. Meaning ``immortal'' in Greek, amaranth
packs a powerful nutritive punch. It averages more than 16 percent
protein, which is twice that of corn or rice and is exceptionally
high in vitamins, minerals and the amino acid lysine. With a mild,
toasted-sesame flavor, amaranth is available whole, ground into
flour, puffed and processed into pasta and cereal.
Barley - A granddaddy among grains, barley originated in Africa
and Asia and was the chief grain in Europe until it was upstaged by
wheat and rye. Pearl barley, or barley that has been hulled and
polished to cook more quickly, is the most usable and available
form. With its chewy texture and mellow flavor, barley works in all
kinds of dishes - soups, stews, stir-fries, pilafs and stuffings. In
most recipes, it can substitute for an equal amount of brown or
white rice.
Berries - The whole, hulled kernels of a grain.
Bran - The outer layer of the kernel of a grain once the husk has
been removed. Bran is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and
minerals.
Buckwheat - Buckwheat is really a fruit related to rhubarb and
sorrel but it looks, cooks and tastes like a grain. With its full,
earthy flavor, buckwheat makes for hearty eating. Buckwheat pancakes
have long been a breakfast staple among French Canadian loggers. In
the form of groats, or hulled whole grains, buckwheat can substitute
for rice or pasta in a recipe. Kasha is roasted buckwheat groats,
whole or cracked, in coarse, medium or fine grain.
Bulgur - Crunchy in texture, mild in flavor, bulgur is cracked
wheat that has been lightly cooked and dried or roasted before being
cracked. The staple grain in the Middle East, bulgur is best know
for its use in the traditional salad tabouli.
Corn - Corn, the only cereal grain native to the Americas, grows
most often in yellow, white or two-colored kernels on the ear of the
corn plant. Other varieties range from red to blue to black. The
type we eat on or off the cob is sweet corn. Popcorn is the other
variety familiar to Americans. Cornmeal is made from corn kernels
that have been dried and ground. It is available in fine, medium or
coarse grind.
Couscous - Although it looks and cooks like a grain, couscous is
actually a tiny pellet-like pasta made from ground semolina wheat.
Basically bland in flavor, couscous, which originated in the
Mediterranean, makes a good base for a richly flavored stew. The
widely available quick-cooking variety is ready in five minutes.
Flour - Flour is a fine meal made by grinding grains. Flour
usually refers to a flour of wheat, although any grain, e.g., rice,
oat, barley and corn can yield flour.
Germ - The innermost part of a kernel of grain, just 2 1/2
percent of the total kernel but an enormous source of nourishment.
It is rich in enzymes, proteins, minerals, fats and vitamins.
Grits - Grits usually refers to hominy grits, which are made from
coarsely ground, hulled, dried corn kernels. Grits can also be made
from other grains, such as oats or barley.
Groats - Refers to hulled grains that have been cracked. Cracked
groats are coarser in texture than grits.
Kamut - Originally grown in ancient Egypt, kamut is a variety of
high-protein wheat with large kernels and an oval shape. It is
available whole or processed into pastas and cereals.
Meal - The coarsely powdered grind of a grain.
Millet - A highly nutritious grain that resembles brown rice or
barley in flavor. A predecessor to rice, barley, wheat and rye, this
ancient grain contains the most complete protein of all the grains,
according to some nutritionists. Round and golden, millet is sold
whole, ground into a coarse meal or flour, or puffed for cereal.
Oats - The staple grain in Ireland, Scotland and Northern
England, oats are high in fiber, low in fat and a good source of
complex carbohydrates. They contain more protein than any other
mainstream grain. Although usually eaten in cereal form, oats also
yield a flour that is sweet and excellent for baking, a good
extender for wheat flour.
Quinoa - Cultivated in the South American Andes since 3,000 B.C.,
quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a supergrain enjoying a revival. The
Incas regarded the kernel as sacred because a steady diet seemed to
ensure a long, full life. Now grown in Colorado's Rockies, quinoa is
protein-packed, with a good balance of amino acids. One nutritionist
put its protein on a par with that of milk. Quinoa is exceptionally
high in lysine, an amino acid not overly abundant in the plant
kingdom. It is also a good source of phosphorus, calcium, iron,
vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. Mild-flavored and crunchy,
quinoa is sold in whole-grain form, ground into flour and processed
into pasta. It needs to be rinsed for two minutes to remove the
saponin, a natural, bitter-tasting coating.
Rice - The staple crop for more than half the world's population,
rice, 5,000 years old in the Orient, has been grown in this country
only since the late 17th century. Brown rice is a whole grain, with
the bran layers, endosperm and germ of the kernel left intact. It is
rich in vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fiber. Brown rice is
milled into white by stripping away all the bran and some of the
endosperm, including the germ, resulting in a nutritionally inferior
product.
Rye - Rye flour was used as an ingredient in bread during
medieval times in Europe and is still consumed in much of Eastern
Europe. High in the amino acid lysine but low in gluten, rye flour
is best used in unleavened baked goods or mixed with wheat flour if
leavening is used. The full-flavored grain is also available as
berries, grits, meal and flakes.
Spelt - Grown thousands of years ago in the Near East and Europe,
spelt belongs to the wheat family, but spelt flour can be tolerated
by many people who have a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance. Nutty
in flavor, spelt is also available whole, rolled into flakes and
processed in pasta.
Triticale - Triticale (pronounced tri-ti-kay-lee) is just over a
century old, created when scientists crossed rye with wheat to
produce a grain that is high in lysine (like rye) and gluten (like
wheat). Nutritionally superior to each of its parents, triticale is
about 15 to 17 percent protein, with a better balance of amino acids
than either wheat or rye alone.
Wheat - The world's most widely distributed grain, grown in
nearly every country. Baking with wheat flour is not the only way to
use the grain. Wheat is also available as berries (whole, hulled
kernels), cracked wheat, bulgur, grits, shredded wheat, unprocessed
bran, wheat germ, rolled wheat flakes, puffed wheat and cream of
wheat.
- Mary Flachsenhaar
Sources: Dietitian Helenbeth Reiss Reynolds of the American Dietetic
Association; ``Grains'' by Miriam Rubin (HarperCollins, 1995); ``The
Grains Cookbook'' by Bert Greene (Workman Publishing, 1988);
``Gourmet Grains, Beans & Rice'' by Dotty Griffith (Taylor
Publishing Company, 1992); ``Shopper's Guide to Natural Foods'' from
the editors of the East West Journal (Avery Publishing Group Inc.,
1987). by CNB