All about buckwheat: what it is and where it comes from, history of origin and quality assessment

Buckwheat is a popular cereal that is considered one of the healthiest. Nutritionists recommend including it in the diet for various health problems, including obesity. The origin and history of the appearance of buckwheat in Russia are interesting: nowadays few people know that several hundred years ago the Slavs did not even suspect about it.

All about buckwheat

Buckwheat is a cereal that is obtained by growing common buckwheat (edible, or sowing). This is a grain crop, the seeds of which are used for food not only for humans, but also for animals.

Buckwheat grains are used to prepare a large number of dishes: cereals, soups, baked goods.

Reference. Buckwheat - a melliferous plant from which beekeepers get honey during abundant flowering.

The degree of processing significantly affects the color of buckwheat. It is either green, not heat-treated, or light brown and black, depending on the degree of roast.

Buckwheat history

Already in the X century. buckwheat porridge has become one of the most favorite among the Slavs. Because of its unattractive appearance, the aristocrats scornfully called it "black porridge" and for a very long time considered it food only for commoners.

Where did it come from

Initially (more than 5 thousand years ago), the culture grew only in the highlands of the Himalayas. The homeland of buckwheat is North India and Nepal. In these places, there are still wild thickets of this plant.

Buckwheat gradually spread throughout the world, appearing in the 15th century. BC e. in China, Japan and Korea, and later in Central Asia, the Middle East and the Caucasus. Much later they learned about it in European countries. Presumably, the culture was brought there during the Tatar-Mongol invasion.

Nowadays, residents of Russia and the CIS countries use it most of all. Abroad, buckwheat is often used as a food additive in baking.

Where did the name come from

At home, buckwheat is called "black rice", in some European countries (Portugal, Spain, Belgium and France) - "Arab grain", in Italy and Germany - "Turkish" or "pagan grain".

In Greece, this cereal is called "black wheat". In other states of Europe - "beech wheat" due to the similarity of grain in shape with beech nuts.

It is known under the names "buckwheat" or "buckwheat" only in Russia and the CIS countries. This name originated, according to one version, from the name of the exporting country, since the first deliveries to Russia in the 7th century. were from Greece. According to the historian V.V.Pokhlebkin, this plant for many years was grown only by Greek monks at monasteries.

When appeared

The first official information about buckwheat was found in the ancient chronicle "The Lay of Igor's Host", which was written at the end of the 12th century. However, archaeological excavations, during which dishes with cereals were found, indicate that they appeared in the III-I centuries. BC e.

With the development of agriculture in Ancient Rus, the popularity of buckwheat increased. So, already in the XV century. it began to be cultivated in large areas, and by the 17th century. cereals were considered the country's national dish.

At the same time, buckwheat began to be used not only to obtain cereals, but also in folk medicine, beekeeping. The honey from this plant is considered one of the healthiest.

Industrial processing of buckwheat

Currently, buckwheat grains are used to prepare not only cereals, but also other dishes.For baking, buckwheat flour is used, which is mixed with wheat flour to increase the viscosity. Groats are included in the children's and diet menus.

Varieties of cereals:

• unground - whole grain, during the processing of which only the upper shell is removed;
• done (chopping) - split grains with removed husk;
• Smolensk buckwheat - finely crushed unground.

Grain processing takes place in several stages:

1. Machine cleaning. Used to remove mineral impurities.
2. Steaming. To easily separate the husk, the grain is steamed for 1 hour at + 130 ° C and a pressure of 0.3 MPa.
3. Peeling and separation. Raw materials are cleaned from husk and divided into 8 fractions.
4. Roasting. The hot air dries out the grain, which turns brown as a result.
5. Removal of low-quality and poorly cleaned kernels.
6. Packing. After all events, cereals are packed in bags. depending on the variety and sent for implementation.

For the preparation of buckwheat flour, cereals are used that have passed all stages of processing. In terms of quality and taste, it is very different from wheat: the color of buckwheat flour is grayish brown, the taste is slightly bitter. It is used for making baked goods with low gluten content.

Organoleptic quality assessment

Organoleptic (merchandising) assessment of the quality of buckwheat is carried out according to 3 criteria: color, taste and smell. Such a study was carried out in the laboratory of the Department of Commodity Science and Expertise of Food Products of the Russian University of Cooperation, Vladikavkaz.

For the assessment, we used buckwheat from the most popular producers in Russia: Makfa, National and Uvelka.

Too dark shades of brown found in the groats produced by National and Makfa producers indicate that the processing technology has been violated. To hide this, the samples were hard steamed. After that, the grain acquired a color that was too dark and uniform, not typical for high-quality cereals.

On the packaging of the sample of the manufacturer "National", the cooking time is 7 minutes. This cereal has gone through a hard steaming mode. Such processing destroys a large amount of vitamins and disrupts the protein-carbohydrate complex.

Important! Buckwheat should be cooked for 25 minutes. The remaining 2 samples - "Makfa" and "Uvelka", meet this criterion.

So, according to GOST, good quality buckwheat, depending on the variety, meets the following criteria:

• color from cream with a yellowish or greenish tint to brown;
• natural smell without mustiness and moldiness;
• taste without acid or bitterness.

Conclusion

Buckwheat is one of the most valuable cereals with a rich history. A large number of dishes are prepared from it, used in dietary nutrition in the treatment of many diseases and weight loss. In order for cereals to bring only benefits to the body, it is important to buy them from trusted manufacturers, paying attention to the color, taste and smell.