buckwheat

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a flowering plant cultivated for its seeds, which are used as a grain-like food. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal and is gluten-free in its unprocessed form. Buckwheat belongs to the polygonaceae family and is grown in many temperate regions. It is not a grass; its seeds are small, triangular, and often dark between the hull and kernel. The plant is an annual that produces pale flowers and can be grown in short seasons on poorer soils.

Cultivation and uses: Buckwheat grows quickly, maturing in roughly 70–90 days. It is often grown as a rotation crop to suppress weeds and improve soil structure, and it does not fix nitrogen. It prefers cool, moist conditions and attracts pollinators when flowering.

Culinary uses: The seeds can be eaten as groats (toasted or raw), ground into flour for bread, pancakes, and pastry, or processed into noodles such as soba. In Russia and Eastern Europe, buckwheat groats are prepared as porridge known as kasha; in Brittany, buckwheat flour is used to make galettes.

Nutrition and health: Buckwheat is relatively high in protein for a plant food and contains all eight essential amino acids. It provides minerals such as manganese, magnesium, and copper, plus dietary fiber and rutin, a flavonoid with antioxidant properties. It is naturally gluten-free, but cross-contamination with gluten-containing grains can occur in processing.