Contrary to what its name indicates, buckwheat is not wheat. It’s a triangular seed in the rhubarb family. Buckwheat is gluten-free, contains eight essential amino acids and is known to balance mood and mind clarity thanks to the high amounts of the amino acid tryptophan. Buckwheat even provides calcium, manganese and vitamins B and E. Buckwheat is more alkaline-forming than grains that contain gluten and it is a slow-release carbohydrate which makes it—listen up active people—a fantastic endurance fuel.
Buckwheat has a rich, nutty flavor and can be cooked and used in savory dishes and cereal, it can be sprouted or ground and used as flour and used for pancakes and gluten-free baking. Store buckwheat grains in a cool/dry place and buckwheat flour in your refrigerator.
Individuals with gluten intolerance should be careful about where they purchase their buckwheat, especially flour. For folks with wheat and gluten allergies, please note that it can be made in facilities which process wheat, and contamination is possible. It may also be blended with wheat as a filler, so make sure to seek out organic buckwheat flour which is clearly labeled as “gluten-free.” You can usually find it in your grocery or health food store.
Try these YumUniverse recipes that use buckwheat and stay tuned for tons of recipes this month like soups, wraps, cereals and baked goods.
Buckwheat, Chickpea & Sweet Potato Jamaican Jerk Wrap
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Raw, Mini Blueberry Cheescakes
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Beautiful Buckwheat Kasha with Golden Raisins, Banana, Coconut & Toasted Pecans
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Buckwheat, Toasted Sesame Seed & Orange Pancake Snackers
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Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Steamed Veggies
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5 Comments to “Whole Food of the Month: Buckwheat”
I don’t cook with buckwheat too often but it is a nice change of pace. I recently had a raw buckwheat bagel at a resto that I really want to duplicate. Any tips?
Hmmm, a raw buckwheat bagel. Do you have a link to the site or a pic? I may be able to help…
This is from the resto’s menu:
Live Bagel
Onion poppy or cinnamon raisin
Made with a sunflower, sprouted buckwheat, and sesame seed bagel dough, dehydrated
with a touch of agave, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.
And here is their lovely photo.
Any help would be great! I loved how it was a smooth dough – not chunky from flax or seeds
Ooooh…I am so excited to try these new recipes. Do all these buckwheat recipes refer to hulled buckwheat? Or do you use hulled vs unhulled for certain specific recipes? Or are the two interchangeable? Thank you!
Nicki~
For all the recipes I use hulled buckwheat. Thanks for the question.
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