Buckwheat is a type of groats that - due to its properties and nutritional value - deserve more than just being a modest addition to the main course. Buckwheat lowers cholesterol, regulates blood pressure and has potential anti-cancer effects. How much calories does buckwheat have? What is the use of buckwheat in the kitchen?
Buckwheat(hreczana) is a type of groats whose properties and nutritional values have been known for a long time. The Huns knew buckwheat groats, but as nomads they did not introduce its cultivation to Europe. Buckwheat in Central Europe was known already in the Neolithic period. In the 13th-4th centuries, its cultivation spread to the west of Europe .¹
Tiny brown grains with triangular sides are the fruit of a small plant, growing up to 60 cm, which produces fragrant flowers, ranging in color from white - as Mickiewicz describes in "Pan Tadeusz" ("white buckwheat") - to pink. Buckwheat is easiest to see in the fields, for example in the Lublin region, where there is the greatest amount of crops. It blooms in July and August.
Buckwheat - he alth properties
Buckwheat is a great source of protein, it contains from 10 to 16 percent. (the warmer the climate, the more it is). It is a protein better digestible than that from cereals, it has a similar value as the protein of legumes.
Buckwheat is rich in unique exogenous amino acids - especially lysine, which our body does not produce itself, but must be supplied with food. Lysine is essential, among others in building proteins, especially in muscles and bones. It has a positive effect on the mental condition.
Scientists have estimated that the consumption of 100 g of buckwheat meets the daily human requirement for exogenous amino acids .¹
Buckwheat does not contain gluten. Therefore, people with celiac disease or gluten intolerant can use it without fear.
Buckwheat is rich in dietary fiber, in which the content of the soluble fraction is 3-7%, and the insoluble fraction is 2-3% .¹ Insoluble fiber fraction stimulates intestinal peristalsis, has the ability to bind secondary bile acids and water .¹
- Delicious groats without gluten
Soluble fiber lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, lowers postprandial glycemia. Consumption of 100 g of groatsbuckwheat is equivalent to 20-30% of the recommended daily fiber intake for proper digestion. 1
The glycemic index of buckwheat is low and amounts to 54, therefore it can be included in the diet of people with diabetes.
The richness of groats also includes B vitamins, which are good for the nervous system, and a significant amount of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, which increase immunity, as well as iron, zinc and iodine.
Buckwheat itself as a plant is used in the pharmaceutical industry as a good source of routine sealing and strengthening blood vessels, quercetin and organic acids. Buckwheat leaves are used to treat varicose veins (including hemorrhoids), hypertension, epistaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding.
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Author: Time S.A
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Find out moreWorth knowingBuckwheat - nutritional values, calories (in 100 g of cooked groats)
Caloric value - 92 kcal
Protein - 3.38 g
Fats - 0.62 g, including:
- saturated fatty acids - 0.134 g
- monounsaturated fatty acids - 0.188 g
- polyunsaturated fatty acids - 0.188 g
Carbohydrates - 19.94 g (including simple sugars 0.90 g)
Fiber - 2.7 g
Minerals
Calcium - 7 mg
Iron - 0.80 mg
Magnesium - 51 mg
Phosphorus - 70 mg
Potassium - 88 mg
Sodium - 4 mg
Zinc - 0.61 mg
Vitamins
Thiamin - 0.040 mg
Riboflavin - 0.039 mg
Niacin - 0.940 mg
Vitamin B6 - 0.077 mg
Folate - 14 µg
Vitamin E - 0.09 mg
Vitamin K - 1.9 µg
Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
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Buckwheat - roasted and unroasted
We have unroasted (unroasted) and roasted (roasted) buckwheat groats in stores - it is easy to recognize because it is darker. Roasted is less valuable because some of the vitamins are lost in the heating process,but has a more distinct flavor.
Depending on whether the grains are crushed, we can also distinguish coarse and broken groats. How to recognize them? Coarse roasted porridge is brown - from light to dark shade, while broken groats are brown and white. The unroasted groats retain their greenish shade.
Buckwheat - use in the kitchen
Krakowska groats are also on sale. It is easy to confuse it with fine barley. Krakowska is the most shredded variety of buckwheat grains, which lose a lot of nutrients during the polishing process.
It was the favorite groats of Queen Anna Jagiellon (Stefan Batory's wife), who had it imported from Krakow (hence the name) after moving to Mazovia. This groats is prepared s alty and sweet, and the Krakow groats with raisins, known as the royal groats, are an original Old Polish dessert. It can be served with cherry juice or jam.
- Dietary meals with porridge
How to cook buckwheat? The easiest way is to throw a perforated foil bag with a portion of buckwheat into boiling water and wait 15-20 minutes. But real gourmets avoid cooking groats together with foil, preferring the traditional way. For cooking, choose a fairly flat saucepan with a thick bottom, with a volume twice the size of the groats plus water.
Pour the selected grains into s alted boiling water in the proportion: 2 glasses of water per glass of groats. Bring to a boil, cook, covered, over low heat until the water is absorbed by the grains. Then move the saucepan to a warm place (eg in a preheated oven or under a blanket) to let the groats “arrive”. It can also be cooked in broth, mushroom decoction or in milk.
The text uses excerpts from the article by Justyna Nowicka from the monthly "Zdrowie"
Bibliography:
1. Zarzecka K. Gaduła M., Mystkowska I., Nutritional and pro-he alth value of sowing buckwheat, "Problems of Hygiene and Epidemiology" 2015, 96 (2)