Humble Buckwheat

[ludja]

Inspired by Druckenbrodt's recent thread on Breton Galettes I thought it would be interesting to hear peoples comments and stories on buckwheat and favorite or interesting preparations.

Here's a link with a short background on buckwheat which is not actually a wheat. I think it's intriguing that it is used in so many different parts of the world and in different forms.

Originally cultivated in the cooler countries of Central Asia, buckwheat traveled to Europe and was incorporated into the cuisines of Finland, Austria, northern Italy, France, Russia, and eastern Europe. Buckwheat arrived in the U.S. with Dutch immigrants as early as the 1620s and with the Germans in the late 1600s and early 1700s. These immigrants cultivated many more fields of this grain in New Amsterdam and surrounding regions than we do today.

I've also read that it assumed special importance during WWII in parts of Europe as an alternative nutritious grain to wheat, oats and barley which were needed to feed the armies. It also grows well in "poor" soils where other grains or crops may not fare well.

[andiesenji]

I use a fair amount of buckwheat.

I include it in a grain/seed etc., mixture that I cook as a hot cereal, use in other dishes, in soups, in "wraps" such as grape leaves, and so on.

I also grind my own for pancakes, addition to breads, rolls, quick breads and cakes.

buckwheat is a very versatile and interesting grain.

I have some growing out at the side of the driveway, which I let go to seed for the birds.

I didn't plant it on purpose......

A package fell out of the van when I opened the side door a couple of years ago and I just left the stuff on the pavement figuring the birds would clean it up. They missed a few and it sprouted and I let it grow on its own. There are no sprinklers on that side of the driveway so the only things that grow there are the creeping thyme and another ground cover that needs little water.

It does get watered once a week when the gardener hoses off the driveway.

[chefzadi]

We make Breton Galettes with them at home. I also taught a Japanese noodle class where I prepared fresh soba dough. But it's really difficult too cut without the proper equiptment because of the lack of gluten even though my recipe included some whole wheat flour.

[Pam R]

kasha and varnishkes..mmmm... (I'm making some for dinner tonight)

[jayt90]

I will always buy deep, dark, intensely flavoured buckwheat honey when I see it.

And I'll always remember watching honeybees attack a field of buckwheat in June: truly an amazing site. The beekeepers call it a honeyflow.

[torakris]

Buckwheat makes a wonderful tea. Called soba-cha in Japanese it is really great either hot or cold, the most popular one in Japan is dattan soba-cha from China.

Couldn't find too many non-Japan sources, here is one.

[fifi]

Buckwheat holds fond memories for me. When I was growing up, my dad would do Sunday morning breakfast, especially if he had a house full of "his girls." Pancakes were his specialty and his favorite was buckwheat. I can smell them now.

[Hiroyuki]

I also taught a Japanese noodle class where I prepared fresh soba dough. But it's really difficult too cut without the proper equiptment because of the lack of gluten even though my recipe included some whole wheat flour.

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How interesting! How did the soba turn out? How much wheat flour did you add? How did you eat the soba? The Japanese way?

[albiston]

Buckwheat consumption is quite limited in Italy, though there are one or two places where it is an integral part of the local cuisine.

In Valtellina, part of the Sondrio province in Lombardy, buckwheat is still grown and used to prepare two local specialities: pizzoccheri and polenta taragna. Pizzoccheri are tagliatelle like noodles, most of the time, or less often little dumplings, and the traditional way to serve them is with savoy cabbage, diced potatoes, sage butter and plenty of the local Bitto cheese. Polenta Taragna which is practically a polenta made with half cornmeal half buckhweat flour, to which plenty of butter and Bitto cheese are added; it is often served with a pork stew on the side, just in case you should have some space left for that . Nice mountain food to keep you warm in winter.

In Trentino and Südtirol there's a few polenta dishes with buckwheat flour too, even a 100% buckwheat polenta, polenta nera, and also a typical cake Buchweizenkuchen.

[ludja]

In Trentino and Südtirol there's a few polenta dishes with buckwheat flour too, even a 100% buckwheat polenta, polenta nera, and also a typical cake Buchweizenkuchen.

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A few other Italian/Sud Tirol dishes I've heard of (SudTirol Cookbook, Italian Pastry books and the web):

Schwarztplentene Knodel or Canederli Neri

(similar to a Tiroler Specknodel exept with the addition of buckwheat flour; i.e. boiled, savory dumpling made with white or rye bread, Tyrolean smoked ham/bacon, onions, parsely, eggs and here, buckwheat flour).

One of the variations of a Trentino buckwheat polenta dish I've seen is to turn it out into a pan, topped with sauteed anchovies.

I have two recipes for at least one version of the, buckwheat cake or 'Buchenweizenkuchen' you mentioned. The Italian name I have is; "Torta de Grano Saraceno".

The recipes are ascribed to Bolzano (Bozen) or to Merano (Meran) in the Alte Adige/Sud Tirol. It's basically a buckwheat flour and ground almond torte which is then split and filled with a jam of Preiselbeeren (lignonberry or could sub cranberry). Served with whipped cream. I've been wanting to try making this for awhile...

Thanks for pointing out the pizzocheri (buckwheat tagliatelle) pasta dish. With the cabbage, potatoes and cheese it sounds like a great winter dish for a after a day of skiing, etc.

Edited February 19, 2005 by ludja (log)

[ludja]

Hmmm, I'd like to try buckwheat honey and buckwheat tea.... (thanks for the link to buy the tea torakris). I need to look for this at a local japanese market as well.

Another dish from France that I like is "Creme de Sarrasin aux Legumes"-- Buckwheat Cream Soup that I learned about in Madeleine Kamman's "When French Women Cook". Diced bacon is cooked, then diced carrots, leeks, onion, garlic and parsely are added in. After they are softened, add chicken stock and cook for awhile to slightly reduce. Off the stove mix buckwheat flour, heavy cream or milk and some stock and then add this in slowly to the soup while stirring. Add some butter in at the end. It's very rich and has a wonderful flavor.

I never had farz when I was in Brittany. Ptpois just posted some about this in the galette thread. As I understand it, it's kind of a buckwheat polenta that has prunes in it and is served as a side dish w/things like pork. (The cooking method is interesting as well, it's cooked in a cheesecloth sack which is hung in the pot used to cook the meat).

Madeleine Kamman describes (but doesn't give a recipe for) a dessert version:

...her dessert farz, those made with apples that had fallen early from the trees, or blackberries gathered from all the bushes that border on the country lanes that crisscross the Brittany countryside.

Has anyone else made or tried farz?

Edited February 22, 2005 by ludja (log)

[SuzySushi]

I have a little cookbook called Breton Pancakes (by Simone Morand, Editions Jos) that I picked up in Brittany some years ago. From the preface:

"The difference Between a Galette and a Crepe

"A galette is a thin and pliable pancake made with a batter containing ONLY buckwheat flour and water.

"Buckwheat crepes are made only in Lower-Brittany... They were the staple diet of both rich and poor country folk. The 'Krampouz' (crepe in Breton) used to be 'Kraz' (crispy in Breton). Some are still made this way, but pancake shops prefer to make less crispy ones which are easier to fill and fold."

Curiously, buckwheat flour is also used to make crepe-like pancakes in Cheju, Korea. They're typically filled with shredded daikon radish and scallions that have been seasoned with a little salt and sugar.

[torakris]

I just picked up some buckwheat cookies at my local 100 yen ($1) store.....they were quite good.

[ludja]

I learned about a new traditional buckwheat dish today in November's Saveur magazine. I never heard of them growing up in New England, but "ployes" are a particular Acadian buckwheat crepe/pancake/flat bread made in Northern Maine and also on the other side of the border where Acadians settled. The dish is thought to be descended from Breton galettes.

The Saveur article profiles the Bouchard Family Farm in northern Maine that grows a particular type of buckwheat in that area--sliverskin buckwheat and sells buckwheat flour and mixes for ployes. The article mentions that diversifying from potatoes to this special buckwheat over 20 years ago permitted them to keep their farm as potato prices plummeted. Here's the link to their website: click.

They can be filled with savory or sweet things. One of the classic savory fillings is "Cretons", a homemade pork pate. (Saveur has a recipe for this too.)

Here's a webpage with more info on ployes :

"What are these ployes?" ask visitors to the St. John Valley, when we recommend they eat them.

The answers fall into two categories, depending which generation is responding...rambling and direct. The older generation gives a nostalgia-laced description of the taste, a litany of recipes and cooking techniques, childhood memories of the tall, steaming stacks of ployes on the supper table, and of Mémère's batter-stained cloth covering the sourdough (lavain) wooden bucket on the sink board. The younger generation comes directly to the point and describes the ploye as a yellow-green pancake, made with locally-grown buckwheat (bockouite) flour.

A ploye is cooked on one side only, on a very hot skillet locally called a 'poëlonne'. Air holes form in the ploye as it cooks. When the top of the pancake is dry, it is ready to eat. Ployes are served rolled or folded as a substitute for bread, and make a good addition to any meal. For breakfast, serve ployes with cretons, a spicy pork meat spread. For the noon meal, serve with butter instead of bread and, after supper, serve with molasses or maple syrup, as a dessert."

Here's a recipe for ployes that is similar to the Bouchard recipe in Saveur: click

[Mikeb19]

Uses for buckwheat... Blini (crèpes), kashas (porridge), holubsti (cabbage rolls), breads, cakes, etc...

I'll often have some buckwheat kasha in the morning with fresh fruit, nuts and honey - good and nutritious, great way to start the day.

[ludja]

... 

I'll often have some buckwheat kasha in the morning with fresh fruit, nuts and honey - good and nutritious, great way to start the day.

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Can I ask how you make this? What type of buckwehat do you buy? Is it available in bins usually as buckwheat groats? Just cook with some hot water?

Thanks...

[Mikeb19]

Can I ask how you make this?  What type of buckwehat do you buy? Is it available in bins usually as buckwheat groats?  Just cook with some hot water?

Thanks...

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I use cracked buckwheat... (result is a little creamier than whole) Here it's available in small bags, much like granola comes in. At the supermarket you can get buckwheat, quinoa, and many mixed grain blends... Kasha literally means porridge, theres a ton of varieties out there.

Anyhow, to cook, I bring some water seasoned with salt and sugar to a boil (2 part water for 1 part buckwheat), add the buckwheat, bring back to a simmer, then let it cook until it's done (I'm bad with recipes, takes about 10 minutes). Don't stir, it's quite starchy already, you don't want to break down the grains too much. Once it's done, add some fresh fruit, some nuts and honey (however your preferences are), and enjoy. It's not haute cuisine by any means, but it's very nutritious.

Edit - forgot to add, buckwheat is apparently the best source of protein from plants there is, not to mention it's other good properties (vitamins, minerals, etc....).

Edited October 22, 2006 by Mikeb19 (log)

[Carrot Top]

Anyhow, to cook, I bring some water seasoned with salt and sugar to a boil (2 part water for 1 part buckwheat), add the buckwheat, bring back to a simmer, then let it cook until it's done (I'm bad with recipes, takes about 10 minutes).  Don't stir, it's quite starchy already, you don't want to break down the grains too much.  Once it's done, add some fresh fruit, some nuts and honey (however your preferences are), and enjoy.  It's not haute cuisine by any means, but it's very nutritious.    

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I like kasha for breakfast, too, hot, with just a touch of milk and some good honey. I've always bought Wolff's kasha at the grocery store - it comes in a 13 oz. box and is usually in the little "kosher" section of the store.

It used to be that I cooked it the same way you do, but was startled recently one morning when staring at the box half-asleep to see that it offers a microwave method. Seemed like a great idea for portion control (I always make too much when doing the stovetop method) and is also good when you have to get going and run out of the house in the morning.

2 Tbs. kasha, dash of salt, 2/3 C water or milk, 2 to 3 C bowl. Microwave 5 to 8 minutes. I used a soup mug with high straight sides, hoping to avoid over-boiling.

In my microwave, it's ready in about four minutes. Eat directly from bowl, no pot to wash. Good stuff.

Edited October 22, 2006 by Carrot Top (log)

[eje]

Hmmm, I'd like to try buckwheat honey and buckwheat tea.... (thanks for the link to buy the tea torakris).  I need to look for this at a local japanese market as well.

[...]

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Some of the farmers' market vendors here carry buckwheat honey. But, I think that the California buckwheat used to for that honey are a different plant (Eriogonum species) from the annual used to produce buckwheat flour (Fagopyrum esculentum).

[ludja]

David Lebovitz has a great entry and recipe for Kig Ha Farz from Brittany: click

It is crumbly buckwheat dumplings cooked in a piece of clean cloth; traditionally a shirt sleeve. Actually, the dumpling is cooked in one large mass in the cloth ‘bag’; then it is broken up into crumbles after it is cooked. This is typically served as a starchy side dish. The ingredients are buckwheat flour, eggs, milk, butter, salt and a bit of sugar.

(This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of cooking dumplings in a piece of cloth; Austria has the “Serviettenknoedel” or “napkin dumpling”. This isn’t made with buckwheat though.)

Some quotes from the article:

…: Kig Ha Farz, a homely but delicious Breton specialty that even few French people know about. It's highly unlikely that you'll ever find it served in a restaurant although I've heard reports of one Breton crêperie near Montmarte which makes it one day a week, but I haven't investigated further. But if you travel through Brittany, some old-fashioned stores sell the simple sacks which are used to cook the kig ha farz, which means 'meat' and 'stuffing' in the Breton language, and you can make it yourself at home, like I do..

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Although kig ha farz is normally simmered in the meaty broth when you're cooking up big hunks of lard, fatty strips of belly bacon along with boiled vegetables, I simply cook mine in water with a bouquet garni: a bunch of fresh thyme and bay leaves tied together.

Has anyone made this? I really like the taste of buckwheat and imagine this would be pretty tasty.

[Pille]

What an interesting thread - I've never had or even heard of buckwheat tea before!!

Here in Estonia, buckwheat porridge is a popular side dish or a dish on its own. Althought traditionally made with roasted buckwheat groats, then nowadays you can buy pre-cooked buckwheat flakes, which make a nice and quick alternative to the more traditional (i.e. groats) porridge, especially for breakfast.

I came up with a warm salad of buckwheat groats and mushrooms last week, which I'll be making again soon

Edited April 3, 2007 by Pille (log)

[BarbaraY]

Pille, the salad looks very good,

I have never eaten kashe but I love soba and buckwheat pancakes so I think I would like it. Would probably find it in the health food store.

[Gruzia]

When I was little, my Mom would feed me a porridge of buckwheat with milk and sugar for breakfast. Nowadays, I like to boil some up and then saute it with soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, garlic, onions, sometimes a bit of pineapple, sometimes capers and sesame oil. Makes a good lunch to take to work.

Edited April 3, 2007 by Gruzia (log)

[JohnL]

IMOP--Buckwheat pancakes are unrivaled.

Simple with some good butter and a splash of really good maple syrup!

[BarbaraY]

IMOP--Buckwheat pancakes are unrivaled.

Simple with some good butter and a splash of really good maple syrup!

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And a side of good link sausages and some homemade applesauce.