Ancient grains are one of the newest food trends, and a healthy one at that. Charmian Smith reports.
You'll find breads and biscuits made with ancient grains, breakfast cereals with ancient grains, and ancient grains in packets and bulk bins in supermarkets as well as specialist shops. Ancient grains are heading for the mainstream as manufacturers target the health market.
''Ancient grains'' is a term given to grains, and sometimes seeds that are used like grains, that are staples in various traditional cuisines. Basically they are whole grains, sometimes called ''super grains'' because of their high nutrient value. They range from the exotic, such as quinoa, chia and amaranth which come from the Americas, to familiar ones such as oats, brown rice and old strains of wheat such as spelt.
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is probably the most popular, says Mark Dickson, of Taste Nature in Dunedin.
''It's a very versatile seed. You can use it for lots of things such as a substitute for rice. It makes a really nice risotto and it's nice when it's a day or two old in patties,'' he said.
Quinoa is an ancient seed from the Andes in South America and was a staple food of the Incas. It is gluten-free, a source of balanced protein, dietary fibre and many other nutrients.
However, there is an issue with quinoa and some other traditional American grains such as chia seed, according to Mr Dickson. Because of the demand from wealthy countries, the local people can no longer afford their staple food as it's being exported. However, it is now being grown elsewhere, but it's something to be aware of, he says.
Also from the Americas are amaranth and various types of corn or maize.
From Africa and Asia come teff, millet, sorghum, and of course, rice.
Not all ancient grains are as exotic as quinoa and chia seed. Barley, oats and rye are
familiar to most, as well as buckwheat. Another is wheat, but usually it's the ancient strains of wheat, such as spelt, kamut and emmer, and variations like farro, konini (red or purple wheat), and freekeh (a roasted green wheat) that are included in ancient grains. These are not gluten-free, but some people find they can tolerate them better than modern commercial strains of wheat.
Mr Dickson believes the interest in ancient grains has been fuelled by the gluten issue. People are looking for alternative grains that do not contain gluten.
Much of the awareness of the trend in Dunedin comes from North Americans working at the University of Otago, who are looking for products used in their home country, he says.
Another trend linked to the whole grain movement is sprouted or malted flours, where grains have been sprouted, dried and then ground into flour. The wet sprouted grains can also be processed into a dough and either dried or lightly baked to make essene bread. This is linked to the growing trend for raw food, Mr Dickson says.
Fennel, tomato and quinoa soup
Serves 6
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
1 large fennel bulb
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cup mixed black, white and red quinoa
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1½ litres vegetable stock
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Method
Wash trim and finely sliced the fennel bulb reserving some of the softer inner fronds for garnish.
In a large pot heat the extra virgin olive oil over a moderate heat, add the sliced onion and saute until translucent. Add the finely sliced celery and fennel bulb and stir until well combined. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Allow the vegetables to gently sweat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat a fryingpan over a gentle heat - add the fennel seeds and dry toast until lightly coloured and fragrant. Remove from the pan, cool and grind with pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Remove the lid from the vegetables, stir through the ground fennel seeds. Add the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock, stir and bring up to the boil and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
Wash the quinoa well in a very fine meshed sieve under cold running water, until the water runs clear. Shake out the excess water and add the quinoa to the soup, stir to combine. Cook the soup out at a gentle simmer for 20min, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve garnished with a few of the reserved fennel fronds.
This recipe comes from Chrystal Armstrong, a chef at Taste Nature in High St.
Lloyd's bread
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup strong white flour
½ cup spelt, millet or rye flour (optional)
1 Tbsp skim milk powder
½ tsp salt (optional)
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp mixed kibbled grains, sunflower seeds or rice or rye flakes or rolled oats, or whatever takes your fancy
1 tsp active dried yeast
1 cup sourdough starter (optional)
2 Tbsp olive oil (or soy or rice bran oil)
250ml to 280ml water
Method
My husband makes our bread in a breadmaker and is always experimenting with different grains. Here is one of our favourites. It's basically a 50/50 wholemeal loaf with various other flours, flakes, grains and seeds depending on how he feels.
This makes a medium-sized loaf with a crisp crust.
Mix the flours, milk powder, salt, sugar and grains or seeds.
Place the ingredients in the breadmaker in the order the manufacturer suggests, and set to mix and bake on a wholemeal or long setting.
Check the dough shortly after the machine starts mixing. If it seems too stiff add a little more water; if too wet add more flour. This may only be necessary the first time you make this loaf and learn the best amount of water to use.
When the bread has cooked, remove it from the pan and cool on a rack for a while before cutting.
An alternative is to make the bread dough in the machine (''dough only'' setting) and bake the bread in your oven (see below).
To make without a breadmaker, mix the ingredients using lukewarm water and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Oil a bowl, put the dough in it and cover with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size - this may take about two hours.
When it has risen, knock the dough down and shape into a loaf or buns. Place in a greased and floured loaf tin or on a floured baking tray, cover and leave in a warm place to rise again for about half an hour. You can sprinkle seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin or poppy, or rolled oats or spelt or rye flakes on the top if you like.
Bake at 180degC for 30-35min until it is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
This recipe comes from Lloyd Smith.
Quinoa salad
Serves 6
1 cup quinoa
1½ cups cold water
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch parsley finely chopped
a few sprigs of mint, finely chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
3 tomatoes, diced
pepper to taste
Method
Rinse quinoa well in a fine mesh sieve under cold running water and drain. Place quinoa into a pot with water, cover and bring to the boil, then simmer for 3min. Set the quinoa aside for 15min without removing the lid.
Prepare all other ingredients.
Once the quinoa has cooled, fluff it with a fork and stir through the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
This recipe comes from Toni Carey, a chef at Taste Nature in High St.
Useful references
The whole foods handbook, by Joanna Piekarski and Marsha Jones (CEEDS), has information about many foods besides grains, and includes hints for use and some recipes.
Supergrains: Eat your way to health, by Chrissy Freer (Murdoch Books), explains 12 of these grains - barley, buckwheat, spelt, kamut, millet, oats, farro, freekeh, brown rice, quinoa, amaranth and chia - and gives a variety of recipes for them. A useful chart at the front of the book gives information about the amount of water and the time for cooking, as well as flavour characteristics, what each goes well with, and how to use them. Some are simple, such as old-fashioned barley water, others are more contemporary, such as Andean grain (a mix of amaranth and three colours of quinoa) salad with salmon, or red grapes and watercress.
Useful websites:
wholegrainscouncil.org
Year of the grain
The United Nations has declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa to raise awareness of the nutritional, economic, environmental and cultural value of a food that has been traditionally cultivated for thousands of years. It will grow in harsh conditions so can contribute to food security. For more information visit www.fao.org/quinoa-2013/en/.
