What cereals are made from barley and the beneficial properties of the cereal

Barley was grown by the ancient Egyptians, Jews, and Romans. They used this grain not only for grinding for flour or beer malt, but also for preparing tasty and healthy porridges. We'll tell you what barley grain is, what types of cereals are produced from it, and what else this grain crop is good for.

Description and characteristics of cereal

Barley - one of the oldest cereals cultivated by mankind. Traces of its wild grains were found in excavations of settlements dating back more than 17 thousand years. About 10 thousand years ago, barley was cultivated and began to be purposefully sown.

In Ancient Egypt, barley was used as currency. It is known that workers on the construction of the pyramids were given grain or barley bread and beer as payment. The Bible mentions that the ancient Jews sacrificed barley grains to God. This grain was one of the seven fruits of the Promised Land.

In ancient Rome, gladiators were fed barley: it was believed that the porridge made from it would make muscles grow faster and the fighters themselves would become stronger. In Rus', barley has also been known for a long time: thanks to its unpretentiousness, it was grown where wheat or rye did not ripen.

Common barley itself is an annual herbaceous plant of the Barley genus of the Cereals family. Its stems are straight, bare, 30-60 cm high in wild barley, up to 90 cm in cultivated varieties. The leaves are about 30 cm long, straight, smooth and even.

The ears are hexagonal with a long (up to 10 cm) spine and consist of several spikelets grouped in groups of three. By July-August, grains ripen in them, which are used by humans.

Initially, only spring barley varieties were cultivated. By its origin, this plant is from the south, where during the long and warm summer it manages to reach full maturity. However, 2 thousand years after the start cultivation Experiments on autumn sowing began.

Currently, winter barley accounts for about 10% of the total volume. In some countries (for example, Romania and Bulgaria), spring crops are practically not grown, switching completely to winter sowing.

Chemical composition, trace elements and beneficial properties of barley

Barley grain contains:

• protein – up to 16%;
• carbohydrates – about 75%;
• vegetable fats – 3-5%;
• fiber – up to 10%.

Barley grains contain quite a lot of vitamins of groups A, B, D, E. The calorie content of a serving of 100 g of whole grain is about 288 kcal. This is approximately 18% of the daily value for an adult. Depending on the region, soil and growing conditions, barley also contains microelements - copper, iron, potassium, selenium, zinc, etc.

Barley has a number of beneficial properties:

1. Thanks to the abundance of fiber, it normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, stabilizes body weight, and prevents the development of colon cancer.
2. Normalizes blood sugar levels.
3. Prevents the development of arthritis. The grain contains copper, which is involved in the synthesis of collagen, necessary for the restoration of cartilage tissue.
4. Increases immunity and stabilizes the functioning of the endocrine system.

What types of cereals are obtained from barley?

Whole barley grains are eaten. It is enough to peel it, winnow it and put it on the fire.However, barley converted into cereal, a product made from purified and crushed grain, brings more benefits to humans. Next, we’ll figure out what kind of cereal it is and what else is made from barley.

Pearl barley

The most famous barley cereal is pearl barley. It is obtained from seed kernels as follows:

1. Achenes of vitreous and semi-vitreous (having a high protein content) varieties are carefully peeled.
2. Then they are crushed so that the kernels remain, in fact only the endosperm (seed protein) with minor remains of the shells.
3. They are ground against each other, resulting in smooth round granules of white or yellowish color.

Pearl barley got its name because the grains are similar in color and shine to small pearls - pearls.

The finished product is sorted using a sieve. The most valuable is considered to be cereals with grains from 1.5 to 2.5 mm. The larger the grain size, the cheaper the pearl barley.

Pearl barley porridge is a traditional Russian dish. Due to the fact that back in the 30s of the last century, the industrial production of cheap and long-storable cereals was established in the USSR, pearl barley was actively used in canteens of schools, military units and correctional institutions. For this reason, pearl barley porridge is often perceived as a low-value product. Of course, this is not true: properly prepared pearl barley is both tasty and healthy.

In addition to the countries of the former USSR, pearl barley is actively used in Italy for the preparation of orzotto (analogous to rice risotto), in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. There they prepare porridges, side dishes from it, and also add it to cereal soups.

Important! When cooked, the pearl barley grains only swell, but do not boil into a homogeneous mass, like those of the barley.

Barley grits

Another type of barley groats is barley. It is produced as follows:

1. Any barley grains varieties cleaned of debris and winnowed.
2. Then they are crushed using a mill.

Unlike pearl barley, barley is not ground or polished, so it:

• has an irregular shape and sharp edges;
• consists of the entire grain - not only the endosperm, but also the shells.

Yachka is used to prepare porridges, less often - as an ingredient in puddings and casseroles. In Scandinavian and Finnish cuisine it is added to soups.

Due to the high content of starch, which boils into a paste, barley porridge turns out lumpy, homogeneous, and when cooled, it quickly hardens and becomes tasteless. In addition, yachka is even cheaper than pearl barley, and the majority of Russians have an even more negative attitude towards it. If pearl barley is considered tasteless army food, then yachka is even considered as gruel for prisoners.

Other

Barley and pearl barley account for the bulk of barley processing into food products.

However, there are several more options for cereals:

1. Rolled egg. It is obtained by passing grains not through millstones, but through a pair of rapidly rotating rollers. The result is a cereal made from flat grains, more like flakes.
2. "Dutch". In fact, this is the same pearl barley, but of especially small size, which has undergone careful selection. Unlike ordinary pearl barley, it is considered an elite grain for haute cuisine.

What other ways to use barley are there?

Not only cereals, but also other products are obtained from barley grain:

1. Malt. Its production in volume is not inferior to cereals, and the best varieties of this grain, when delivered to elevators, are classified as “malting barley.” In Great Britain, Ireland, and the USA, it is also used to make whiskey.
2. Flour. The dough does not rise from it; at best, flat, hard cakes are obtained.Therefore, it is added to wheat or rye flour. In Finland, traditional Rieska bread is baked using barley flour.
3. Raw materials for the production of kvass. Due to its high carbohydrate content, barley grain ferments well.
4. Barley coffee – roasted barley powder. When brewed, the resulting drink is vaguely reminiscent of coffee. It does not have full taste and is considered a surrogate, but it is often used by people who are prohibited from caffeine for medical reasons.
5. Raw materials for use in cosmetology and medicine. It is obtained from barley sprouts and is used internally and externally.

A significant amount of barley with low protein content is used for fodder.

Barley grains are used in feeding animals in the following forms:

• whole – boiled or steamed with boiling water;
• as a raw material for the production of animal feed – then they are ground, mixed with flour of other cultures, enriched with premixes and granulated.

Possible harm and contraindications of barley

Barley cereals, grain decoctions and other products can cause harm if:

1. Individual intolerance. No one is immune from it, so people with such indications can only follow a barley-free diet.
2. Gastrointestinal diseases. If you have gastritis, duodenal or stomach ulcers, cholecystitis, it is better to abstain from barley porridges or decoctions. Use them only after consultation with your doctor.

According to folk medicine, barley decoction with honey reduces libido.

Conclusion

Now you know what grain pearl barley and beer malt are made from. Barley is an ancient cereal crop. Cereals from it have been consumed by people for many thousands of years.

In most cases, barley products are tasty and healthy, but occasionally they can cause harm. When using them, carefully monitor your health and if in any doubt, go to a doctor.