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What is Barley? A whole grain/but one that is rich in soluable fiber! Read all about it.

Barley Cooking Tips
Botanical Name: Hordeum Vulgare

Other Names: A specially processed version can be found in some Asian
food stores under the name hato mugi.

Description: Barley is a rugged grain, which, due to the sturdiness of
the plant, can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Asia
to the Americas.

The grain itself is composed of about 5 parts. The two
outermost parts are protective hulls, which cannot be eaten. Inside the
hull is the aleurone, which protects the endosperm. The endosperm contains
most of the starch in the grain. At the very center of a grain of barley
is the pearl.

When this grain is eaten, we are participating in a tradition that has
spanned over three millennia. The grain provided a nutritionally balanced
food high in protein and carbohydrates. It also provides a great deal
of bulk by absorbing 2-3 times its volume of the cooking liquid. It is
little wonder a pottery found in China, dated around 1520 BC celebrated
the end of famine with a depiction of barley falling from the sky.

Purchasing Information: There are four types of barley available. They
are differentiated by the amount of barley removed in processing.

The most processed is pearled barley, which has had all outer hulls and
the endosperm, removed, leaving only the inner pearl. The color of pearl
barley is off white. It is the most common barley found in stores. When
cooked, this barley provides a mushy base for soups.

Another kind is called Pot or Scotch barley. This barley has had the hulls
removed to leave the endosperm and pearl. Even this minimally processed
barley has lost the vast majority of protein, fiber, fat, and minerals.
This barley is not commonly sold.

Hulled barley has only the outer inedible hulls removed, and is the least
processed barley that humans can enjoyably eat. However, some people report
a gritty taste, and people not used to large amounts of fiber may feel
discomfort. This barley is sold mostly in health and natural food stores.
It can sometimes be sold as sprouting barley, but sprouting barley may
in fact not be hulled at all. Hulled barley is light brown and quit a
bit bigger than pearled barley.

Finally, one can get a type of barley at Asian food stores, called hato
mugi, which is used in Japanese barley dishes. The grain is hulled, compressed,
and enriched.

Basic Cooking Instruction: Hulled barley can be cooked alone and used
as rice or any other grain. One cup of barley, cooked with three cups
of water, flavored with garlic and onions, for one hour and a quarter
will provide a crunchy side dish for steamed vegetables. Pearled barley
requires about fifteen minutes less to cook.

If the water is doubled and a few cups of vegetables are added, a hearty
soup will be created.

The barley can also be steamed. One cup of water, and one cup of barley,
put in a steamer for an hour, with spices and onions, will create a crunchy
meal that can be combined with beans. The contrasting textures make this
satisfying to many of the senses.

The grain can be ground or cracked and used to make crackers or flavor
bread. The extremely low gluten content makes it unsuitable to the be
the base from bread.

Bodacious Barley
By Alycia Lee, M.S., C.N.

One of the first grains that was cultivated by man, barley can grow in
all climates from the heat of Ethiopia to the cold of Scotland and is
a major food staple in many regions of the world. In the United States,
it is the fifth most important crop but not because we're eating it. Unfortunat
ely, we tend to neglect this delicious grain, except for the rare occasion
when we toss it into a soup or stew. Nearly half the U.S. crop is used
as feed for livestock and almost all the rest is used for brewing beer.
So, we may not be eating it, but we sure are drinking it!

Ancient Beer Bellies

The Babylonians were brewing beer as early as 2800 BC The Sumerians used
barley to make eight different kinds of beer under the protection of the
goddess Ninkasi. The Egyptians also believed that beer made from barley
was a gift from the god of agriculture, Osiris. It is said that one day
Osiris placed barley together with the sacred waters of the Nile, and
was suddenly called away. The barley left unattended germinated and fermented
in the hot sun. When he returned, he drank it, and thought it so wonderful
that he gave it to mankind. Besides making beer, barley was used by the
ancient Egyptians as a medium of exchange, and was stored in tombs. In
fact, it was among the many treasures found in the tomb of King Tut.

In ancient India, barley was sacred to Indra, and was used during wedding
and childbirth rituals. The Greeks planted it around temples for Demeter
while asking for human fertility.

In Latin, the word for barley is Hordeum vulgare. Ancient Roman gladiators
were called hordearii, or "barley men", because they ate large amounts
of young green barley sprouts to build muscle and strengthen their bodies
just before entering the amphitheaters to battle their opponents.

What's In This Mystical Grain?

Barley is a good source of fiber, potassium, iron, and calcium. Half a
cup of dry hulless barley (1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked) provides the following
nutrients: 326 calories, 1.5 g protein, 2 g fat, 67.6 g carbohydrate,
2.6 g fiber, 30 mg calcium, 3.3 mg iron, 242 mg phosphorus, 416 mg potassium,
11 mg sodium, 2.5 mg zinc, 1.7 mg manganese, .59 mg thiamin, .26 mg riboflavin,
and .59 mg vitamin B6.

Like oats, barley is a good source of soluble fiber, and may be effective
in lowering cholesterol levels. It contains tocotrienol, which aids in
suppressing cholesterol production by the liver, and betaglucans, that
work with other soluble fibers in preventing dietary fats and cholesterol
from being absorbed by the intestines.

Forms of Barley

The closer a grain is to its whole, natural state, the more beneficial
it is to our health. Barley is most commonly eaten in one of its least
nutritious forms pearled. Just as whole grain brown rice is more nutritious
than white rice, and bread made from whole-wheat flour is nutritionally
superior to bread made from white flour, unrefined barley is more nutritious
than the refined kind. Below are some of the most common forms of barley:

Barley Malt: A sweet syrup, similar to molasses. It can be found in health
food stores. Barley Flour: It can be substituted for twenty-five percent
of whole-wheat flour used in baked goods. Because it is a low gluten grain,
it makes a denser product. Barley flour is made from pearled barley. Barley
Grits: These are barley grains that have been toasted and cracked into
small pieces. They can replace rice, can be eaten as breakfast cereal,
and are sometimes used in baking. Pearled Barley: Pearled barley is milled
many times, so that the hall, the bran, and some of the germ have been
polished away. This process removes beneficial fiber and nutrients. Pot,
Scotch, or Hulled Barley: This means that all the hull has been removed,
but most of the bran is left intact. oUnhulled Barley: The tough, outer
husk is still attached. This is the least refined form of barley, and
the most nutritious. However, it takes longer to cook, and maintains a
certain chewiness.

Barley can be chewy, so it's typically included in soups and stews, rather
than used as a stand-alone ingredient in side dishes. A little barley
goes a long way; 1 cup dried expands to about four times that size during
cooking. Most barley found in supermarkets is called pearl barley --
that is, it has been refined, leaving behind only the "pearl" from the
center of the grain.

Whole barley is jaw-achingly tough, so it should be soaked overnight
before cooking. While overnight soaking isn't really necessary for preparing
pearl barley; some cooks do it anyway to make the kernels fluffier. The
quick-cooking form of barley is both tender and quick to prepare. It's
ready in about 10 minutes and is perfectly suitable for pilafs and other
side dishes.

Tips:

Cook pearl barley ahead and freeze in 1 cup portions. Thaw frozen cooked barley in the microwave oven by cooking on HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes. Fluff with a fork and use.

Add a teaspoon of vinegar to liquid when cooking barley to help keep the kernels separated and fluffy.

Before cooking, toast barley in a slkillet until golden to bring out its pleaseant nutty flavor.

Many barley soups, casseroles, and salads taste even better when prepared a day ahead and refrigerated overnight to blend flavors.

To get the most flavor out of marinated barley salads, pour oil and vinegar dressing s over cooked barley while it is still hot.

Stir 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice into barley soup just before serving to point up its flavor.

For more information and recipes:
Send a self addressed, stamped envelope to:

National Barley Foods Council
Department BB
W. 905 Riverside, Suite 501
Spokane, Washington 99201

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