What is Pearl(ed) Barley?

[Shel_B]

Is it better, or just different, for certain dishes, such as mushroom barley soup? How do I know if I'm getting pearl(ed) barley? I've never seen it mentioned on the bulk barley bins, which is where I'd buy the grain. Does it require different cooking techniques than reguar barley, such as longer/shorter cooking time, soaking overnight, and etc?

[Porthos]

Does the barley you buy in the bulk bins have a smooth surface or a coarse surface?

[Shel_B]

Does the barley you buy in the bulk bins have a smooth surface or a coarse surface?

It's been a l-o-n-g time since I bought barley, so I'd have to take another look.

[Porthos]

I buy pearled barley all the time. It has the husk removed. I suspect that the term "pearled" comes from the appearance of the barley after the husk it removed, something akin to small pearls. For the Northern California Renaissance Faire another guild member buys barley that still has the husk on it. It is a deeper color and has a much rougher-looking texture. I have not noticed an appreciable difference in cooking time but that could be related to our particular recipe.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Pearl barley also releases its gluten faster than hulled (pot or Scotch) or groat barley (one of which is what Porthos is talking about - both preserve the bran, but in different ways).

Pearl, with no bran at all on it, imparts a really excellent velvetty texture and thickening to soups where it's included. It's also subtly chewier than other barleys and in soup contexts it can cook faster. I still soak it overnight, but more because I like the resulting barley water as a refreshing drink....

[Ttogull]

I often make risotto using pearled barley. It is my favorite, and I rarely use traditional risotto rice. I also found black barley, which has part of the hull? Anyway, it has something like 10x more fiber than pearled, so make a mix of pearled/black in about 80/20 for a wonderful, fibrous risotto.

[mgaretz]

All the barley I find in the bulk bins (whole foods and sprouts mainly) is pearled though it's not labeled as such.

[huiray]

Pearl barley:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_barley

https://www.google.com/search?q=pearl+barley&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Hordeum vulgare L. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barley

Chinese pearl barley:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job%27s_Tears

https://www.google.com/search?q=chinese+pearl+barley&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

薏米, Coix lacryma-jobi

You're welcome.

[huiray]

I still soak it overnight, but more because I like the resulting barley water as a refreshing drink....

Panaderia, you just soak the barley at room temp for barley water? You don't boil it?

Perhaps you might also find this interesting:

http://www.mummyicancook.com/2012/09/old-fashioned-barley-water.html

[liuzhou]

3.3 Formed into small rounded grains; granulated.

1600 Fairfax Tasso xviii. xxiv, The Manna on each leafe did pearled lie. 1694 Salmon Bate's Dispens. (1713) 476/2 This pearled Nitre is good in all hot Diseases. 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche Jan. xviii, A honey-cake Of pearlèd barley mix'd with hydromel.

Oxford English Dictionary

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I still soak it overnight, but more because I like the resulting barley water as a refreshing drink....

Panaderia, you just soak the barley at room temp for barley water? You don't boil it?

Perhaps you might also find this interesting:

http://www.mummyicancook.com/2012/09/old-fashioned-barley-water.html

I usually soak overnight, then if the water seems weak I boil in the morning. However, the grade of pearl barley available to me here in Ecuador (where they look at me like I'm nuts because the only reason to buy pearl barley is to roast it for Machica, and since that's widely available why in the world would you do that?) has a lot of extra starch on it - it's never been rinsed. Overnight soaking is usually sufficient, and then the barley goes into the Scotch Broth with the accumulated week's lamb bones. If I boil before adding the barley to the broth, I lose the lovely velvety texture I mentioned above, and the thickening doesn't seem to be as strong.

If I want barley water like what's mentioned in your link, I use Arroz de Cebada, which is cracked pot barley - mmm, gluten-y and yummy!