People who follow a gluten free lifestyle for medical reasons or simply by choice must find grain product alternatives to replace wheat, barley or rye.  Rice and corn fit the bill but these grains get boring.  That’s where buckwheat comes in! Contrary to its name, buckwheat is not a form of wheat at all.  Buckwheat is in fact a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and not a whole grain.

What little most people know about buckwheat has to do with pancakes.  Buckwheat flour is commonly added to commercial pancake mix.  This is how most people even know of its existence.  However, buckwheat is much more than just pancakes.  In its other forms, there are a lot health and nutritional benefits that can’t be overlooked.  Buckwheat is a wonderful addition to a “whole foods” or gluten free diet.

Buckwheat contains the eight essential amino acids and is also rich in many B vitamins.  It provides a source of  several key minerals, and has Alpha-Linolenic Acid, one of the two essential fatty acids required for a healthy diet.

Other facts about buckwheat that make it worthy of your consideration:

• It is a high fiber food. One cup of cooked buckwheat groats contains over 4 grams of dietary fiber.
• Buckwheat has a low glycemic load making it a good carbohydrate choice for weight management or diabetes.
• Diets that contain buckwheat have been linked to lowered risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

You won’t need to search far to find it because it can be found in the health food aisle of most supermarkets.   Here’s a quick primer on the various forms of buckwheat that you can try:

Buckwheat Groats: hulled grains of buckwheat are triangular in shape. Buckwheat groats are used whole in hot cereals and soups. The seeds from buckwheat can be ground into flour for baking.

I like to use small amounts of flour made from buckwheat groats in my baking.  To do this I use  my coffee bean grinder; it’s  the perfect tool for making small amounts of flour.

Buckwheat Kasha:   kasha, or roasted hulled buckwheat kernels, may be sold whole or cracked.  You may find it ground into coarse, medium, or fine consistencies. The variety you use will depend on the consistency you want for the item you are preparing.  The roasting changes the flavor and kasha has a distinctively different taste from the groats.

Buckwheat Flour:  buckwheat flour can be used alone or mixed with other types of flours to make pancakes, breads, and muffins. 

Buckwheat Soba:  thin noodles made from buckwheat flour.  Buckwheat soba noodles are used in oriental cooking. * If you purchase soba noodles, check labels carefully, as many soba noodles contain wheat flour in addition to the buckwheat flour.  I like to make my own soba noodles using 100% buckwheat flour.

My favorite buckwheat brands are produced by  The Birkett Mills which  is the World’s largest manufacturer of buckwheat products. Birkett Mills buckwheat products are gluten free.  This company is located in upstate New York and I find their full line of buckwheat products in the health food aisle of my supermarket.