How to cook whole spelled in water. What is spelled - photo of the grain. Beneficial properties for the body

What do we know about spelled? Philologists and bookworms will immediately remember the lines from Pushkin’s fairy tale about the cunning Balda about “boiled spelt.” Gourmets and experimenters admit that they have come across inconspicuous cereals with an ancient Russian name on store shelves with fashionable ones. And nutritionists will joyfully exclaim: “What are you doing, friends? This is the food pride of Russia - in Europe, spelled dishes are considered a real delicacy!”

And while fashionable import substitution praises buckwheat as the main national product, it’s time for you and me to take a closer look at spelled. If Alexander Sergeich himself wrote about it, the cereal is clearly not simple...

Spelled, Spelled or Einkorn?

Spelled has been called as many names as spelled, and emmer, and emmer... But all these intriguing names are simply late varieties of spelled wheat, which first grew in the Mediterranean almost 7-8 thousand years ago.

Spelled was mentioned in the Old Testament, in Homer's Odyssey, and in the works of the historian Herodotus. And after several centuries, spelled fields smoothly migrated to the territory of Rus', and since then spelled has forever remained a “Russian” grain for the whole world. Why, even in the USA they learned about spelled thanks to the fertile soil of the Yaroslavl province - from there the seeds of our native cereal were brought to America.

Spelled peak in Rus' came in the 18th century - in those days, cereals were fried, steamed, porridge was cooked, put in soups, and baked flatbreads. Our peasants especially liked the harsh and independent character of spelled - the grain did not accept any fertilizers or any processing. Only natural conditions! Collecting such wild grains was problematic; hard grains were difficult to grind into flour, but no pest would take spelt. But over time, when the price and availability of bread became more important than its usefulness, they practically stopped growing spelled.

Return of the King

Black caviar of cereals - this is how spelled wheat was nicknamed for its unusual brown hue and most useful composition. Spelled - what is it? The photos will show a normal-looking cereal, very similar to whole oats, only more elegant and spectacular brick-red color.

In the modern world, they started talking about the half-forgotten spelt - no, they practically screamed! – a few years ago, when the fashion for everything natural quickly returned. Red wheat turned out to be almost ideal in this matter, because the main condition for its cultivation is exceptional naturalness. No GMOs for you, no fertilizers - on “dirty” soil, cereals will simply refuse to grow. No radiation and heavy metals - the hard wheat shell will not let them through, no pests - the beetle and harmful turtle (yes, yes, this happens!), insects will not gnaw through these grains.

Will this beautiful spelt pass the hypoallergenic test? Does it contain gluten or not? This is wheat, albeit red. But compared to ordinary soft wheat, there is practically no dangerous gluten in spelled, but there are much more healthy plant proteins. Therefore, for both gluten allergies and intolerances, spelled porridge and spelled flour bread will be an excellent solution.

Health is a good gift

Each cereal is unique in its own way - any nutritionist will tell you about this, and scientific research will prove it, and the certificate on the package of porridge will notify you. Oatmeal, couscous, millet, quinoa, brown rice - all this is the basis healthy eating. But even against such a bright grain background, spelled is not lost - its beneficial properties only expand over the years.

• Spelled is a real record holder for the content of vitamin PP - nicotinic acid. It helps and prevents fatty plaques from clogging our blood vessels.
• Magnesium, potassium and phosphorus are the main mineral trinity of red wheat. Magnesium and phosphorus strengthen bones and nerves, potassium protects the heart and relieves swelling.
• Slow carbohydrates and vegetable proteins make spelled porridge one of the most nutritious, and this with a minimum calorie content of 127 kcal. Spelled salads and casseroles will instantly relieve you of hunger and allow you to do without unnecessary snacks.
• It is no coincidence that Pushkin's Balda begged his employer for boiled spelled as a main dish. Cereals improve immunity, help you think faster, and give you strength and endurance. Truly, health is a good gift, as the classic said in another work.
• Spelled is also a universal culinary product; its delicate nutty taste goes well with any ingredients. Do you want Mediterranean exoticism? Add Italian herbs and simmer the risotto. Preparing a vegetarian lunch? Casserole with or - as easy as shelling pears! And if you love your native cuisine, you can cook ancient Russian spelled porridge - with milk, butter and berries and fruits.

Spelled for weight loss

Tired of diet oatmeal? There is a great alternative - spelled! The benefits and harms of red wheat for weight loss have been discussed by healthy eating enthusiasts for a long time. And it has been unequivocally proven that spelled does not harm the figure.

The main weight-loss advantage of spelled wheat is its low calorie content. Cereals saturate the body with proteins and vitamins, make the intestines work, and even out metabolic processes. As a result, the kilograms evaporate slowly but surely.

One caveat - spelled cereal for weight loss must be cooked in a special way. Only on water, add less oil to the porridge, and better than vegetable oil. And as a bonus, just add nuts, dried fruits and apples and pears to your breakfast plate - in the morning your body will only thank you for it.

Cooking spelled correctly

We lied a little with the title - it’s almost impossible to cook spelled incorrectly. There are several basic recipes spelled porridge, the main ones are the dietary version with water and the Old Russian version. And on their basis you can build your own signature recipes, adding all those goodies that you're used to putting in oatmeal, baked goods, and even omelettes.

Porridge for weight loss

How to cook spelled depends entirely on the type of cereal you found in the store - regular or steamed.

First, wash the spelled – regardless of the variety. Pour it into boiling water (proportion 1:2), add salt and wait for the water to boil along with the red wheat. And then we cook it like regular porridge: steamed for 15-20 minutes, regular porridge for 35-40.

Old Russian porridge

Let's stock up the necessary products- a glass of spelled, a glass of milk, yogurt and cold water. First, soak the spelled in yogurt and water. The proportions may be different - some recommend half a glass of water per glass of yogurt, others claim that you need 2 times more water. Our advice to you is to try both options and decide which porridge tastes better.

Soak the porridge for 5 hours, then rinse it to remove all traces of yogurt, and cook it in a mixture of milk and water (proportions with cereal, as in dietary recipe). Cooking time is 20-30 minutes, or until the milk and water are absorbed. Then throw it in butter, salt and simmer under the lid (or you can wrap it in a towel) for about an hour.

Spelled recipes for lunch and dinner

If you have spelled lurking in your kitchen cabinet, you can look for recipes for more than just breakfast. Lunch, afternoon snack, light dinner– red wheat is good everywhere.

Corsican spelled soup

You will need: 1.5 liters of broth - chicken or vegetable, one glass each of spelled and small red beans, an onion, and 2-3 sprigs, 100 g hard cheese(for piquancy, can be replaced with goat), salt, spices, 2 spoons.

1. To get hot French soup for lunch, we start culinary activities in the morning. Soak the beans for 6-8 hours, spelled for 4. The beans are boiled in two waters, so we prepare them in advance - fill them with cold water, and when it boils, cook for an hour over low heat. Then put it in a colander and let it rest for now.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, fry the onion until golden brown, add the garlic. After 30 seconds, pour in the broth, when it boils, add the spelled. After 15 minutes, throw in the beans and wait another half hour.
3. Meanwhile, put the kettle on, grate the cheese and chop the mint (set aside 8 leaves for decoration). When the soup is ready, add cheese and mint, add half a glass of boiling water - and you can pour it into plates. Each one contains 2 mint leaves for beauty.

Spelled salad with tomatoes

You will need: a glass of spelled (preferably steamed), a head of red onion, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 4 tomatoes, one cucumber, a handful (lettuce, etc.), salt and pepper and olive oil.

Pour vinegar over the chopped onions and leave to marinate. At this time, cook the spelled in water and let it cool. We cut vegetables and herbs, mix with onions, butter and spelled. Ready!

Imagine, in one of the bakeries in Wales, in Britain, whole grain spelled bread is sold 4 times more expensive than usual! And we were incredibly lucky - almost every large supermarket sells both flour and spelled at a reasonable price - how to cook, the imagination of the housewife and culinary forums will tell you. Not just buckwheat...

Ecology of consumption. Food and recipes: Spelled sprouts well. It only takes a couple of hours for it to get wet. It can be eaten separately, with vegetables, fruits, and herbs. You can make porridge. The less we cook spelled, the more useful it is

Spelled sprouts well. It only takes a couple of hours for it to get wet. It can be eaten separately, with vegetables, fruits, and herbs. You can make porridge. The less we cook spelled, the more useful it is.For those for whom this is not enough, here are spelled recipes:

Spelled soup :

Ingredients:

• Whole spelled 100 gr
• Vegetable meat 1 liter
• Cream 35% 50 g
• Onion 1 piece
• Butter 2 tbsp
• Green onion (chopped) 30 g
• Salt to taste.
• Spices: nutmeg, black ground pepper.

Preparation:

Peel the onion and chop it finely. In a saucepan, lightly fry the onions in melted butter. Add spelled to the pan and fry until light brown, stirring continuously. Then pour into the pan vegetable broth, mix everything, add salt, after boiling, reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. At the end, add ground black pepper, nutmeg and finely chopped green onions. Pour the cream into the pan and beat the soup with a mixer, bring to a boil. Pour the finished soup into serving bowls and sprinkle green onions. Serve with croutons and rye crackers.

Sohapur (Armenian cuisine).

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• Leek 200 g
• Whole spelled 80 g
• Wheat flour 12 g
• Melted butter 40 g
• Potatoes 400 g
• Salt to taste
• Spices: black allspice, parsley.

Preparation:

Sort the leeks, rinse in water, chop. Fry leeks in a saucepan with melted butter. Then add water and simmer over low heat. Add spelled, chopped potatoes, salt and cook until tender. Fry the flour, dilute with onion broth, add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil. Serve in deep cups, sprinkle thickly with finely chopped parsley and add black allspice.

Spelled mushroom soup.

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• Whole spelled 1 cup
• White mushrooms (dried) 100 g
• Fresh champignons (chopped) 250 g
• Butter 35 g
• Onion 1 piece
• Garlic 2 cloves
• Celery stalk 2 pcs
• Potatoes 5 pcs
• Mushroom broth 1 l
• Cream 35% 1 cup

Preparation:

Rinse the spelled, add water and leave to swell for 30 minutes. Rinse dried mushrooms and cover with water for 20 minutes. Boil the spelled for 30-40 minutes over low heat, then drain the water. Boil the mushrooms until tender, strain the mushroom broth.

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the garlic cloves, removing them as they fry. Immediately add chopped champignons and boiled porcini mushrooms. Then add finely chopped onions to the pan.

Boil a stalk of celery with chopped potatoes in a small amount of water for 10-15 minutes. Add thyme. Cool slightly and blend with a blender until pureed.

In a saucepan, combine mashed potatoes with celery, fried mushrooms with onions, spelled, add mushroom broth, add salt, heat and pour in cream. Heat the soup until thickened, without bringing to a boil.

Serve with fried bread and rye crackers.

Spelled salad with fried vegetables.

Ingredients:

• Boiled spelled 2 cups
• Eggplant 1 piece
• Zucchini 2 pcs
• Red pepper 1 piece
• Red onion 1 piece
• Cherry tomatoes 8 pcs
• Basil 1 bunch
• Capers 3 tbsp
• Seasoning
• Olive oil 3 tbsp
• Balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup
• Parsley 1 bunch
• Salt, black allspice - to taste

Preparation:

Soak the spelled for 30 minutes, rinse, add water in a ratio of 1/1.3 parts and boil in salted water for 20 minutes until the liquid boils away. Place in a large bowl.

Cut vegetables: remove seeds from peppers, cut into large pieces. Peel the onion and cut lengthwise into half rings. Wash the zucchini, do not peel the small ones, peel the large ones. Cut the zucchini into pieces 2 cm thick. Cut the eggplants, without peeling, into 3 cm pieces.

Then quickly fry the vegetables in olive oil, stirring gently. So that they don't lose their shape. Cool.

Place the fried vegetables in a bowl with spelled, add chopped basil and parsley, capers without brine, cherry tomatoes cut in half.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour in a seasoning mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Gently mix the salad from top to bottom and garnish with basil.

Cauliflower casserole with spelled.

Ingredients:

• Crushed spelled 200 g
• Vegetable broth 1 l
• Cauliflower 1 kg
• Egg 2 pcs
• Cottage cheese 250 g
• Milk 4 tbsp
• Green onion 1 bunch

Spices: grated nutmeg, juice from half a lemon, sea salt, allspice - to taste.

Preparation:

Rinse the crushed spelled several times in water, add vegetable broth and cook until tender.

Disassemble the cauliflower into inflorescences, rinse in water, sprinkle with lemon juice and boil for 10 minutes with the addition of salt.

After boiling, cool the cabbage and let the water drain. Then chop not very finely and place in a greased baking dish.

Green onions rinse and dry. Cut finely.

Beat eggs with milk, add spices and salt, mix with cottage cheese and green onions. Pour the prepared mixture over the cauliflower, spreading evenly in the baking dish without stirring.

Bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, sprinkled with green onions.

Spelled pilaf with mushrooms.

Ingredients:

• Whole spelled 2 cups
• Champignons 1 kg
• Onions 2 pcs
• Ghee 4 tbsp
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a deep saucepan, frying pan or cauldron. Lightly fry the spelled in melted butter, pour in 5 cups of water, add salt, close with a lid and simmer until cooked until all the water has gone.

Boil the mushrooms; large ones can be cut.

Cut the onion into half rings and fry in oil. Add boiled mushrooms to the onions, after draining the water. Lightly fry mushrooms with onions.

Add mushrooms fried with onions to the already prepared spelt, mix gently, heat through, add allspice.Serve hot.

Spelled with turmeric.

Ingredients:

• Whole spelled 400 g
• Green onions 2 bunches
• Onion 1 piece
• Vegetable broth 1 l
• Turmeric 2 tbsp
• Balsamic vinegar 1 coffee spoon
• Olive oil 3 tbsp
• Soy sauce 1 tbsp
• Cilantro 1 bunch
• Parsley 1 bunch
• Ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Prepare vegetable broth with a bunch of parsley.Rinse whole spelled and pre-soak in water for 1 hour.

Fry the onions in a large cast iron frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and half the turmeric.

When the onions are fried golden color, add half the broth, bring to a boil. Add the washed spelt to the boiling broth, after draining the water in which it was soaked. Then add the rest of the turmeric, pepper and leave to simmer under the lid until the spelled is ready.

When cooking, add broth as it is absorbed. Do not stir the spelled.

At the end add chopped onion. Mix the remaining olive oil soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and add before the end of cooking.

Serve hot, generously sprinkled with chopped cilantro.

Spelled with beets and horseradish

Ingredients:

• Whole spelled 250 g
• Beetroot 1 piece
• Grated horseradish 2 tbsp
• Chicken broth 400 ml
• Onion (red) 1 pc.
• Parmesan cheese 100 g
• Sugar 50 g
• Sour cream 100 g
• White wine vinegar 50 ml
• Fennel 1 piece
• Beetroot juice 200 ml
• Olive oil 20 ml
• Sunflower oil 50 ml
• Sherry 100 ml
• Butter 50 g
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Soak whole spelled overnight in a small amount of water. Then drain the water, rinse the spelled, add salted water in a 1:1 ratio and boil over low heat for 30 minutes.

Cut the beets (raw) into thin strips or grate them on a coarse grater. Mix salt, vinegar, sugar and marinate the beets for 40 minutes.

Slice the fennel as thin as possible, add salt and pepper and mix with olive oil.

Mix grated horseradish with sour cream, add salt and pepper to taste.

Put all this in the refrigerator.

Mix chicken broth with sherry and beet juice, heat well over low heat without boiling.

In a saucepan for sunflower oil fry finely chopped onion, then chopped garlic. Add spelled there and fry everything together, stirring, for 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the broth mixture with beetroot juice and sherry. Heat everything in a frying pan, stirring, until it reaches the consistency of resotto.

Remove from heat, stir in grated Parmesan and butter. Serve with pickled beets and fennel. Use horseradish with sour cream as a sauce.

Tolma (Armenian cuisine)

Ingredients:

• Lentils 160 g
• Whole spelled 350 g
• Beans 120 g
• Onion 1 piece
• Dried apricots without seeds 100 g
• Raisins 80 g
• Vegetable oil 200 g
• Grape leaves 800 g
• Greens - cilantro, parsley
• Salt, ground red pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Soak the spelled in water overnight. Then drain the water, rinse the spelled and boil in salted water until tender.

Boil lentils and beans.Cut the onion into cubes and sauté in vegetable oil.Soak dried apricots, raisins and rinse.Scald the grape leaves with boiling water.

Mix spelt, lentils, beans with fried onions, raisins, and chopped herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Wrap the resulting filling in grape leaves in the form of an envelope and place in rows in a thick-bottomed pan or cauldron. Sprinkle with dried apricots. Drizzle with vegetable oil, add water and cook over low heat until cooked.

Serve with plenty of chopped herbs.

Classic spelled porridge.

Ingredients:

• Whole spelled 1 cup
• Curdled milk 0.5 cups
• Cold water 1.5 cups
• Milk 0.5 cups
• Butter, salt, to taste

Preparation:

Soak the spelled for 6 hours in a mixture of 0.5 cups of yogurt and 1 cup of water.

Then rinse the spelled and put it in a saucepan, add 0.5 cups of water and 0.5 cups of milk.

Mix everything and put on low heat. Cook until the liquid boils away. Then add salt, sugar and butter to the finished porridge to taste. Let stand covered, or better yet, covered, to evaporate for an hour.

Spelled and orange muesli.

Ingredients:

• Spelled 50 g
• Milk 200 ml
• Kefir 250 ml
• Orange 2 pcs
• Hazelnuts 50 g
• Honey 2 tbsp
• Salt sugar to taste

Preparation:

Heat milk in a small saucepan, add spelt, add salt and sugar to taste and cook for 10 minutes. Then, after cooling, add kefir, honey, mix and leave to swell for 10 minutes. Peel the orange and cut into small pieces, lightly fry the nuts. Add nuts and chopped orange to the swollen muesli.

Spelled muesli

Ingredients:

• Whole spelled 100 g
• Creamy yoghurt 300 g
• Honey 3 tablespoons
• Banana 1 piece
• Raisins 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Pour the spelled into a saucepan, add a small amount of water and leave to swell for 8 hours or overnight.

Then boil the swollen spelled over low heat under the lid for 25-30 minutes. Place on a sieve and cool.

Wash and pour raisins hot water for 10 min. Then drain the water.

Peel the banana, cut into slices.

Add honey to yogurt and stir.

Serve by mixing spelled, yoghurt with honey, raisins and chopped banana in a serving bowl.

Porridge made from spelled, apples and pumpkin.

Ingredients:

• Spelled 200 g
• Pumpkin 200 g
• Apple 1 piece
• Milk 500 ml
• Curdled milk 400 ml
• water 100 ml
• Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste.

Preparation:

Mix yogurt and water, add spelt to this mixture and leave for 6 hours. After this, rinse the spelled cold water.

Peel and cut the pumpkin into small pieces, pour it into a hot frying pan and lightly fry in a small amount vegetable oil(two minutes).

Pour milk into a saucepan, heat, add spelled and cook over low heat until tender (20 minutes). Halfway through cooking, add the fried pumpkin pieces and stir.

Cut the apple into cubes and add before the end of cooking. We also add cinnamon, salt, sugar. Mix everything thoroughly.

Add butter before serving. Leave, wrapped, for 10 minutes.

Spelled with dried fruits.

Ingredients:

• Spelled 400 g
• Dried pear 150 g
• Prunes 150 g
• Dates 150 g
• Raisins 100 g
• Dried apricots 100 g
• Honey 100 g
• Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Cook the spelled with salt until tender. Add cinnamon to the cooked spelled.

Wash dried fruits and pour boiling water until they swell. Remove pits from dates and chop large fruits. Add dried fruits to the cooked spelled, heat over low heat, add honey.

Spelled porridge with berries.

Ingredients:

• Spelled 250 g
• Yogurt or kefir 300 ml
• Fresh berries - according to the season (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, currants. Blackberries or mixed berries)
• Water 100 ml
• Honey 100 g
• Butter 50 g
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Soak the spelled in a mixture of curdled milk and water overnight. Then rinse, add water, add salt and cook until tender.

Season the prepared spelled porridge with butter and honey.

Decorate fresh berries without stirring so that the berries remain intact.

Airy pie made from spelled flour with spices.

Ingredients:

• Spelled flour 2.25 cups
• Sugar 1.5 cups
• Vegetable oil 1 cup
• Egg 4 pcs
• Milk 0.25 cups
• Baking powder (baking powder) 1 teaspoon
• Baking soda 1 teaspoon
• Coffee seasoning (Arabic blend) 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to medium temperature (170 C). Grease 2 baking sheets with oil

Beat eggs with butter, sugar and milk. Add whole spelled flour, baking powder, baking soda and seasonings. Mix until a homogeneous mass is formed.

Transfer the mixture onto two baking sheets so that the dough does not reach the edges of the rim.

Bake until done, checking doneness with a match or wooden stick.

approximately 40 min.

Spelled buns with oat flakes.

Ingredients:

• Whole spelled flour 500 g
• Wheat flour 500 g
• Leaven
• Salt 20 g
• Milk 300 ml
• Vegetable oil 3 tbsp
• Honey 3 tbsp
• Eggs 2 pcs
• Oat flakes No. 2 100 g

Preparation:

Combine spelled flour, wheat flour and remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a depression in the center.

In a small bowl, combine milk, honey, olive oil and eggs, whisk until smooth and pour into the well in the flour. Knead the dough. Cover it with a damp towel and leave it in a warm place.

Line three baking trays with baking paper. Knead the dough briefly, form it into 25 balls of approximately 100 g each, place on baking sheets and leave to rise for an hour. Cover the baking sheets with a damp cloth so that the dough does not dry out when rising.

Heat the oven to 210 degrees,

Place a fireproof container with water, about 2 cups, on the bottom.

Beat an egg with a tablespoon of milk. Using a pastry brush, brush the buns and sprinkle oatmeal on top.

Place the tray with buns in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 170 degrees and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

Cook with love!

Many once popular dishes and products, for various reasons, lose their positions and are gradually forgotten. Among them are turnips, which were replaced by potatoes, rutabaga, which only botanists now remember, and spelt. What it is, many only vaguely suspect.

What exactly is spelled?

There are several misconceptions associated with this plant and the dish made from it. Most people answer the question “Spelled cereal - what is it?” They answer that this is ordinary pearl barley. The second proposed option is young ones in a stage called milky-wax ripeness. Both of these are not entirely true. To begin with, it is worth understanding about the word “spelt” that it is a completely independent plant. It was from him that everything that exists today originated. This is a semi-wild (and sometimes wild-growing) cereal that has a brittle spike in which the grains are covered with a film. So to the question “Spelled is a type of what?” You can safely answer that it is wheat, but just a species, and not a familiar modern plant.

Very long story

There is accurate scientific data: even in Neolithic times, spelled was one of the key food products. What it is and how to prepare it was known both in Ancient Egypt and in no less ancient Babylon. Great ancient writers and scientists mentioned it. Among the famous people who wrote about it are Herodotus, Homer and Theophrastus. Spelled occupied vast sown areas for many centuries. That this is a very valuable crop was gradually understood (and appreciated) by European countries. At one time, it was grown in fields from Transcaucasia to North Africa, including Arabia. On the territory of Russia it was used back in the fifth century BC, although the peak of popularity occurred in the eighteenth century.

Useful properties of spelled porridge

Why was spelled so in demand? What is this widespread indifference to this particular cereal? First of all, people were attracted by the high nutritional value of the plant. Its grains can contain protein up to 37 percent by volume. For those who work hard and constantly, this is almost the main property of any food. Spelled was considered a medicinal and dietary product; Modern science has already established the reasons for this popular belief. The 18 amino acids found in gluten grains cannot be obtained from foods of animal origin. Meanwhile, they are extremely necessary for a person and cannot be replaced by anything else. It is also important that after cooking a pleasant nutty flavor appears, for which spelled porridge is famous; that this dish is useful for children’s growth and development; that it also helped sick and weakened people get back to normal faster; that the reduced gluten content makes this porridge useful for allergy sufferers who cannot tolerate gluten. Indeed, a plant with such data should be considered almost magical!

What else was spelled valued for?

For ease of cultivation. It required virtually no maintenance, any soil - even very poor - was suitable for it, and it easily tolerated a lack of moisture. We can say that the cereal grew independently, like weeds. Pests could not destroy the crops - spelled is very resistant to them. The weeds could not choke out the plantings - wild wheat itself suppressed the weeds. When the ears were full, they did not lose grains, and the stems did not break and did not fall either in heavy rain or in near-hurricane winds. The diseases to which spelt is prone were also not threatened.

Why was spelled forgotten?

It would seem that such an unpretentious plant is spelled. What had to happen so that other varieties of wheat would gradually be preferred? One of the first and main factors is low cereal yield. While it was not required to grow it on an industrial scale, the small amount of “output” was compensated by the acreage and very modest labor costs. However, over the years, acreage became more in demand, and low yields no longer satisfied people.

The second, no less important, reason was the difficulty of grinding and the low quality of the resulting flour (after all, the grains are threshed together with the flakes, and even then only with difficulty and not completely). Still, today the main goal of growing wheat is to process it “into dust” and supply it to bakeries, and not to use it. Therefore, the choice was made in favor of naked varieties, although they require better quality land, are susceptible to diseases, suffer from pests, and are damaged by the wind and rain and require additional watering.

How to cook it correctly?

Usually boiled spelt was made from such grains. That it can be tasty is assured not only by old sources (including the famous author of the cookbook Pokhlebkin). Those who managed to get cereal somewhere say that the porridge turns out simply wonderful, you just need to know certain tricks. So, for a glass of spelled take half a glass of water, yogurt (or sour milk; some advise replacing with low-fat kefir) and regular milk, plus as much as 100 g of butter. Here, for sure, spelled oil, as the saying goes, cannot be spoiled. The secret is that the cereal must be soaked, not just in water, but in its mixture with sour acid. It should “sour” for at least 4 hours; It's better to leave it overnight. Then the cereal is washed with cool water, poured with milk (you can, again, combine it with water) and boiled over very low heat until the liquid evaporates. Please note: the porridge will not be soggy. Usually it is considered ready when only one grain remains - grain by grain. But if the fire was too intense, you may need to add water. The finished dish is wrapped in a towel or an old scarf right in the pan for about forty minutes. All that remains is to add oil and eat.

Good for more than just porridge

Contrary to popular belief, spelled was not only used as a side dish. You can try making the first one - the soup made from it is very tasty. For 150 g of cereal, take 2 onions and carrots, a leek, one and a half tablespoons of butter, 80 ml of cream (preferably thicker), two yolks, 2 liters of broth from your preferred meat and herbs - traditionally this is parsley, but you can vary it.

The prepared vegetables are finely chopped and stewed, in the same container with spelled. At this time, the broth is heated, added to the base, and the soup, when it boils, simmers under the lid for an hour and a half. The cream is then whipped with the yolks into a dense, thick foam and added to the pan. A minute and a half (with stirring!), and the fire turns off. Well, and the greens - already when serving.

The casserole is also unique. It is made from spelled and cauliflower. The cereal is boiled. Some people advise soaking it, just like for porridge, just in water. Others claim that you can cook it like that, only on low heat and for a long time - forty minutes, no less. Cauliflower processed as usual, that is, the leaves are peeled off, the heads are washed and kept in cold water for 10 minutes. Then the cabbage is divided into individual inflorescences and boiled. When cooking, I advise you not only to salt the water, but also to add a little lemon juice. The dried cabbage is placed in a frying pan (or mold), chopped onions are added there, spelled is placed on top and everything is poured with beaten eggs, a small amount of onions and spices with cottage cheese. 200 degrees will be enough - for either a gas or an electric oven.

Rebirth of past glory

Let spelled have long lost its value. Nutritionists never tire of reminding us that this is a healthy and nutritious product, believing that it should be grown at least for those who need special nutrition. Gradually the grain begins to return to the fields. On the lands of Karchaevo-Cherkessia and Dagestan, the areas allocated for it are increasing. Americans also do not refuse spelt, even if they call it spelled. It bears the same name in Europe, from where it is also brought to Russia.

Spelled porridge occupies a leading position in the content of nutrients in the ranking of cereal crops. Proponents of a healthy diet often include the product in their diet, as it is not only healthy, but also tasty. It can be prepared with either water or milk, adding pieces of meat, mushrooms, fruits, and berries.

Choice of cereals

If in Ancient Rus' the dish was of an everyday nature, now some consider it almost exotic. The product is not particularly popular only because few people know about it. Spelled is wheat with filmy grains and brittle ears. The cereal is often called spelled, emmer, and emmer.

In circles of people leading a healthy lifestyle, spelt has long been known. It is valued for its following properties:

• maintains normal blood glucose levels;
• prevents the development of heart attack and stroke;
• prevents the occurrence of cholelithiasis;
• normalizes the functioning of the thyroid gland;
• improves food digestion processes;
• fights infections;
• prevents the formation of tumors;
• strengthens bone tissue;
• increases male potency;
• promotes weight loss.

To date, no contraindications have been identified for the use of spelled by a healthy person. The only negative is that you should avoid porridge if you have an individual gluten intolerance.

In order for spelled to bring maximum benefit to the body, you need to choose the right product in the store. To do this, it is recommended to follow the following rules.

• Choose grains that are golden in color, clean and without flakes. This is what quality spelled looks like.
• Check the expiration date and production date.
• Examine the packaging for leaks.
• It is recommended to choose coarsely ground cereal.
• It is better to refuse to purchase the product instant cooking. After special processing in production, there are almost no useful substances left in it.

The dish is also valued for its versatility. Depending on the type, it can be prepared with the addition of various ingredients and served with a variety of dishes. For example, crushed cereal is more often used to prepare dietary or milk porridge; it can be used as a side dish for meat, poultry or fish; some housewives add the crushed variety to vegetable stew or pilaf.

Whole grains are often used as a separate side dish. It is also good for adding to soups or stews. Whole spelled goes well with salads and fresh vegetables.

Proportions and cooking time

Spelled porridge made from steamed grains takes a long time to cook - about 40 minutes. If the housewife plans to prepare a dish according to an old Russian recipe, then the cereal must be soaked overnight in yogurt and clean water. In the morning, the grain should be washed and boiled in milk in proportions of 1: 2. When the porridge is ready, it is recommended to wrap the pan in a warm towel and leave for another 30 minutes.

If porridge is cooked in water, then the proportions usually used are 1: 2-2.4. The washed grain is poured into boiled water. Cooking takes 40-50 minutes, after which it is also recommended to infuse the porridge. If spelled is cooked in a pot, then instead of infusing it, you need to leave it in the oven for a while. To prepare porridge in a slow cooker, the proportions of cereal and water are 1:3.

Another important rule when cooking is Whole grains should be soaked for 5-6 hours, crushed grains should be cooked immediately.

Cooking recipes

On the water

• Wash the cereal thoroughly and place it in a saucepan.
• Add enough water to cover by 3 cm and leave to soak for an hour.
• Rinse again and fill with clean water in a ratio of 1:2.
• Add salt to taste.

• Cover the pan with a lid and put it on gas, waiting for it to boil.
• After boiling, keep it on low heat for another 20 minutes.
• Add butter to the spelled, add salt again if necessary and mix.

With milk

• We wash the cereal.
• Add water and milk to the grain in proportions 1: 1.5: 2, respectively.
• Sprinkle with sugar and salt, put on gas.
• After boiling, cook over low heat, covered, for another half hour, stirring occasionally.
• After cooking, leave the porridge covered for 20 minutes.

With nuts and fruits

• Thoroughly wash the whole grain.
• Pour boiling water over the cereal and bring to a boil.
• Add salt to taste and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
• Take ½ cup of broth from the pan and drain the rest of the water.

• Cup walnuts dry in a heated frying pan.
• Grind the nuts in a blender.
• Let's prepare the fruit: separate the pomegranate seeds, divide the orange and tangerine into slices, and chop the prunes.
• Dissolve 3 tablespoons of honey in the cereal decoction.
• Add dissolved honey, nuts and lemon zest to the cereal and mix.
• We lay out the dish in layers, alternating spelled and fruit.

With mushrooms

• Fry chopped onions and garlic in a frying pan in oil.
• Add champignons to the pan and fry until tender.
• Boil the washed spelt. After boiling, keep it on low heat for about 20 minutes.
• Mix the porridge with mushrooms.
• Serve as a side dish for meat or poultry.

Experts continue to insist that cereals must be present in every person’s diet. Cereals such as oats, barley, buckwheat fill the body with useful elements and vitamins, and also improve the processes of the digestive and intestinal tract. And if the above-mentioned cereals are familiar to everyone since childhood, then not many people know about such a grain as spelt. True, everyone heard it in Pushkin’s famous fairy tale about Balda, in which the main character asks Pop to feed him spelled. And now we will try to find out: spelled - what kind of grain it is, what its value is and how to cook it.

Spelled - what kind of grain is it?

Spelled is a unique grain about which much has been written research work back in the first half of the 20th century. This kind of cereal is called the “ancestor” of wheat, so it’s not for nothing that it is mentioned in children’s fairy tales and poems.

For a long time, spelt was classified as a completely different cereal, but this was a mistaken opinion. If you look into the “Cultural Flora of the USSR”, spelled is described there as the main species from which agronomists developed other types of wheat.

Spelled grains are similar in appearance to wheat, only they are larger, the shell is protected by hard scales, thanks to which such a plant is highly resistant to harsh weather conditions, weeds, drought and pests.

Most nutritionists have come to the conclusion that spelled is a plant that has been able to retain its properties in the form in which nature created it. Today, in the regions of Dagestan and Bashkiria, they are trying to revive this cereal, and on the shelves of Russian stores you can see spelt under the Kamut brand, which is brought from America. By the way, in Italy and India spelled was nicknamed “cereal black caviar”.

What is the main difference between spelled and wheat?

Spelled and wheat, what's the difference? But the difference is that in wheat all the value is concentrated in the bran, that is, in the shell of the seeds, but white flour does not represent any value for the human body. As for spelled, it useful material not only in the shell, but also in the ground cereal. Also, spelled grains are wrapped in a protective film, which protects against the penetration of pesticides and toxic elements, and also prevents the loss of nutrients. Therefore, spelled contains more vitamins than wheat.

Benefits and harms

As already mentioned, spelled brings more benefits to humans than wheat. It contains almost the entire “range” of B vitamins, which help preserve vision, improve memory and boost immunity. Spelled also contains magnesium, zinc, iron and calcium.

Not a single cereal can boast of having such an amount of protein, which spelled grains are rich in. At the same time, gluten protein contains 18 important amino acids that the human body needs. In addition, gluten does not disrupt the digestion process, so this cereal can be consumed even by those whose body does not tolerate protein.

IN Lately The number of adults and especially children suffering from allergies is only increasing. A common cause of the development of such diseases is gluten, which is part of many cereals, but spelled contains the smallest amount of this substance.

With regular consumption of spelled, a person experiences:

• the risk of developing inflammatory and infectious, as well as vascular and heart diseases is reduced;
• digestion and secretion of intestinal glands improves;
• metabolism is restored;
• the skeletal system is strengthened;
• blood cholesterol levels decrease;
• libido increases in men.

Spelled, like other cereals, has its contraindications, although the list here is small. As a rule, patients who react acutely to the constituent components of spelled or have complications in the intestines should avoid consuming spelled.

The role of cereals in dietetics

Nutritionists will assure you that spelled will help you cope with excess weight without much harm to the body. The thing is that spelled is well absorbed by the human body, and if it contains complex carbohydrates, it gives a feeling of fullness for a long time, so after eating spelled porridge for breakfast, you are unlikely to want to eat anything else high in calories.

It is also worth emphasizing that this cereal contains a large number of B vitamins, which prevent fat deposition, which is an important point when losing weight. At the same time, spelled improves peristalsis, which also helps fight obesity.

Simple recipes

Today, spelled is used to prepare the most different dishes. It is used to cook soups, prepare porridges, pasta, serve as a side dish or use it as a breading. So, let's tell you how to cook spelled.

Spelled porridge

For breakfast, you can cook delicious and nutritious spelled porridge; it can be salty or sweet, with water or milk.

Ingredients:

• 425 g spelled;
• 1 liter of water;
• oil (drain);
• salt or granulated sugar taste.

Preparation:

1. Spelled, like rice grains, must be washed several times, that is, until the water is clear.
2. Pour water into the saucepan and let the liquid boil, then add the cereal and cook for half an hour, stirring the contents of the saucepan periodically.
3. At the end, add sweetener (salt) and malitsa to taste, mix and serve healthy dish on the table.

For garnish in a slow cooker

In a slow cooker you can also quickly and easily cook salted or sweet porridge, but it’s better to try cooking spelled with mushrooms as a side dish. Porcini mushrooms are best suited for the recipe; if there are none, then other types will do.

Ingredients:

• 185 g spelled;
• bulb;
• 155 g porcini mushrooms;
• 55 ml red wine;
• 315 ml chicken broth;
• 55 g parmesan;
• 85 g butter (drained);
• 45 ml olive oil;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. First of all, we sort out the spelled from excess debris and soak it in water, leaving it overnight.
2. Then rinse several times until the water becomes clear.
3. Cut the mushrooms into small cubes and fry them in olive oil in a slow cooker in the “Fry” mode until golden.
4. Then add the diced onion to the mushrooms and fry the ingredients for another 5-7 minutes.
5. Then add spelled, pour in wine, continue cooking in the same mode until alcoholic drink It won't all evaporate.
6. Now pour in chicken bouillon, add salt, go to the option “ Rice porrige"("Grain") and cook for half an hour.
7. IN ready dish put the creamy malitz and add the grated parmesan.

Spelled pasta

Spelled pasta should be cooked in the same way as plain wheat. But it’s still worth studying the label, because different manufacturers may indicate different cooking times. You can simply boil the pasta, add butter and sprinkle with herbs, or you can prepare a more satisfying dish.

Ingredients:

• 425 g spelled pasta;
• 100 g bell pepper;
• one onion and one carrot each;
• 25 g tomato puree;
• onion greens.

Preparation:

1. According to the instructions, boil the spelled pasta and you can move on to the sauce.
2. In a frying pan with heated oil, fry the champignons cut into thin slices for 10 minutes.
3. Then add the rest of the chopped vegetables and simmer until all the ingredients are ready.
4. Then add tomato puree, pour in half a glass of water and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Place the spelled pasta on a plate, pour over the sauce and sprinkle with onion rings.