What makes ancient grain so special? Is it just a trend or is ancient grain healthy? Here you'll find everything you need to know about ancient grains!
"Today we have Kamut bread on offer, would you like to try some?" my trusted baker asks me. Somewhat skeptically, I look at the bread tidbits.
He must have interpreted my look well and explained to me in response, "This is a primordial grain that is particularly healthy."
Well, good. Then I taste it. And lo and behold, the ancient grain Kamut bread tastes really delicious.
But wait a minute... Original grain? What is that? I've done the research for you! Today you'll learn everything you need to know about ancient grains.
What is primordial cereals?
Ancestral grains are old cereals that have mostly fallen into oblivion. But they are slowly returning to our plates. These varieties are also called ancient grains.
More than 8,000 years ago, ancient cereals were already being cultivated in Asia Minor. More precisely, at that time it was einkorn and emmer, which then slowly spread to large parts of Europe. And then suddenly the many varieties it disappeared from the fields, because much high-yielding varieties such as wheat and rye took the place.
You can use it like regular wheat flour and make bread, rolls, cakes and pasta with it. The difference lies on the one hand in the taste and on the other hand in the higher nutrient content.
Urkorn, for example, contains many more minerals - especially zinc and protein.
More and more often you can now find it at bakeries or in the supermarket. It is usually touted as the innovation par excellence. But the ancient cereals are ten thousand years old and anything but new. They are the predecessors of today's cereals.
Urkorn is more robust against diseases and pests. If the grain variety does get hit, conventional sprays are usually ineffective.
That is why most varieties do not use fungicides and pesticides. Ancient cereals grow slower and yield less, which makes them very uninteresting for conventional agriculture. That is why almost every ancient grain is organic.
Yummy: spelt flakes porridge with chocolate and fruit!
How many nutrients are in ancient cereals
This is very difficult to say, because each variety offers different advantage. In terms of calories, fat and carbohydrates, all varieties with wheat are pretty much on par.
However, minerals such as zinc, potassium, calcium, etc. are exciting, because old cereal varieties contain much more of these than wheat. One reason for this is that these varieties are not overbred and are only designed for yield.
Like wheat, ancient cereals contain gluten. Some varieties contain less than others, but only millet is truly gluten-free. Some varieties, such as kamut, contain even more gluten than conventional white flour.
You can find out which nutrients are contained in the original grain by looking at the grain itself.
What are the varieties of primitive cereals
You will be surprised how many varieties there are and that you have even eaten many of them. Here you will learn everything you need to know about the different types of ancient cereals.
By the way, you can buy ancient cereals in health food stores, organic stores or online. In the normal supermarket you will find only a very small selection.
Spelt counts as a primordial grain
The best known ancient cereal is spelt. You can replace spelt flour 1:1 with wheat. It makes almost no difference in taste, but spelt is much healthier than wheat.
You will find in spelt vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin D, E and silicon for strong hair, nails and beautiful skin. Spelt also scores with its high amounts of potassium, magnesium and zinc. As well as high quality protein.
People like to use spelt flakes in muesli. They look a little like oat flakes, only they are much darker and taste nuttier.
Spelt nutritional values and calories per 100 grams
- Calories: 340
- Protein: 12.3 g
- Fat: 2.7 g
- Dietary fiber: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 62.4 g
In spelt you can find sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and a lot of magnesium.
Yummy: Lightning fast spelt rolls without yeast!
Oats as an ancient cereal
Yes, the popular oatmeal also belongs to the original cereals. Oats contain B vitamins and a lot of fiber.
Beta-glucans are in the lead when it comes to dietary fiber. They have a soothing effect on the stomach and protect the intestines. They also help you to eliminate cholesterol and thus protect the blood vessels from cholesterol deposits.
For those with celiac disease, gluten-free oatmeal is available.
With oatmeal you can bake cakes and muffins. You can prepare pancakes, porridge and spicy patties. Bread and rolls also turn out wonderfully with oatmeal or oat flour.
Oats nutritional values and calories per 100 grams
- Calories: 363.4
- Protein: 13.5 g
- Fat: 7 g
- Dietary fiber: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 58.7 g
When it comes to vitamins, minerals and trace elements, oats are a real power grain. You will find vitamins B1, B2, B6, K and E. Also calcium, potassium, lots of iron, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc and selenium.
Do you already know this recipe for oatmeal patties?
Millet is an ancient cereal
Along with spelt and oats, millet is one of the original cereals that are relatively well known. But if you look at it very closely, the term millet hides twelve different species. If you've heard of teff, that's another millet variety.
Rice can be easily replaced by millet in many recipes. You can also prepare it sweet as a dessert - mixed with fruits, honey and yogurt. Millet flour can be used to make flatbread. When ground coarser, it can be used like semolina and added to soup or made into porridge.
Millet should always be cooked before eating to make it more digestible. Millet should end up in the cooking pot if you regularly have an iron deficiency. You will hardly find as much iron as millet contains in any other grain. The same applies to magnesium.
Millet nutritional values and calories per 100 grams
- Calories: 342.3
- Protein: 10.6 g
- Fat: 1.9 g
- Dietary fiber: 3.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 68.8 g
In the original grain millet you will find a lot of fluorine and silicic acid, which is very important for strong bones, nails and teeth. Hair and skin also benefit from it. Also contained in large quantities are potassium, phosphorus and sulfur.
Unlike other ancient cereals, millet is alkaline and ensures a balanced acid-base balance.
Emmer is an original cereal variety
Have you ever heard of the ancient grain emmer? If not, don't worry. Hardly anyone knows emmer. Yet the ancient grain was once widespread.
And even today you should help yourself. Because the ancient grain contains twice as much vitamin E as wheat.
At some bakeries you can find bread and rolls that contain emmer. The flour is darker and coarser than normal wheat flour. Therefore, it also gives pastries a characteristic dark color. It is used in soups, stews, casseroles or fried dishes.
The ancient grain does not have such good adhesive properties as conventional wheat flour. That's why skill is needed when baking - bread, rolls and the like don't turn out so fluffy.
And you can even make beer from it. Emmer beer is particularly spicy.
Emmer nutritional values and calories per 100 grams
- Calories: 325
- Protein: 13 g
- Fat: 2.5 g
- Dietary fiber: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 62 g
Green spelt rediscovered as a primordial grain
Now it gets a little more exotic. Have you ever heard of green spelt? Sounds strange, doesn't it? But it's nothing different from spelt.
Before the spelt is ripe, it is harvested and then roasted and dried. Thus, the spelt kernels remain green and taste spicy-aromatic.
You can use green spelt to make fritters, risotto or delicious soups. The green kernels are not suitable for baking.
Green spelt nutritional values and calories per 100 grams
- Calories: 326
- Protein: 11 g
- Fat: 3 g
- Dietary fiber: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 63 g
Because Grünkern is not yet fully mature spelt, the composition of vitamins and minerals is also quite different. You can call green spelt a real superfood from Germany. You will find in it a lot of magnesium and phosphorus, which has a very calming effect on the nerves.
When you eat green spelt, you also get a lot of B vitamins and iron. If you have a sensitive stomach, you can help yourself to green spelt. It has a soothing effect on the stomach and is not stressful.
Yummy: green seed soup with coconut milk and carrots *vegan*!
Einkorn is the mother of all wheat varieties
Einkorn is the ancestor of all wheat varieties. During the Bronze Age it was one of the most important staple foods and the most common cereal.
Einkorn has a beautiful golden yellow color and small soft grains. The color gets the kernels from their high carotene content.
Pasta, bread and pastries made from emmer have a beautiful yellow color and a slightly nutty flavor. As flakes, you can use einkorn mixed into muesli for soups or roasts.
Einkorn is also used to brew beer. If you want to bake with this ancient grain, then you must know that it has poor adhesive properties. Therefore, it is usually used in combination with another type of flour such as spelt flour.
Einkorn nutritional values and calories per 100 grams
- Calories: 320
- Protein: 19 g
- Fat: 2.6 g
- Dietary fiber: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 62 g
Barley as the original cereal
At the latest since superfood is fully in the trend, most know also barley. At least in the form of barley grass, it ends up in many smoothies and powders. And anyone who loves beer knows that beer without barley tastes only half as good. Barley is also very suitable as a raw material for malt coffee or spirits.
Barley is one of the oldest cereals of all.
Unfortunately, you can not easily replace barley with wheat flour. This is because barley contains much less gluten and is therefore more commonly used as flakes, pearl barley or groats.
Barley has already made it back onto the menu in many good restaurants. There is barley risotto or a dessert made from barley with milk and fruit.
Barley nutritional values and calories per 100 grams
- Calories: 335.7
- Protein: 10 g
- Fat: 2.1 g
- Dietary fiber: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 64.3 g
Barley, by the way, is a quite wonderful and regional alternative to rice.
Try these delicious rice alternatives!
Primal rye as a primal grain
Primal rye is an ancient type of grain, which was already cultivated 7000 years ago. By the way, it is also called forest perennial grain. Originally, rye grew as a weed in wheat fields. It is hardy and has few demands on the soil, which is why it was further bred. This gave rise to the rye we know today.
You can buy the ancient grain in some stores and prepare bread or sweet pastries from it. It is rich in fiber, protein, trace elements and B vitamins.
Taste-wise, I find it mega delicious. You know conventional rye certainly from sourdough bread. Urroggen tastes even a little spicier and earthier.
Rye nutritional values and calories per 100 grams
- Calories: 321.2
- Protein: 9 g
- Fat: 1.7 g
- Dietary fiber: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 59.7 g
The aromatic Urroggen flour is often used to bake mixed breads.
How to make your first rye bread with sourdough!
Khorasan or Kamut as an old variety
And now we are already at Kamut, also called Khorasan and the bread I was allowed to taste. The cultivation of this ancient cereal began 6000 years ago. It is therefore one of the oldest cultivated cereals.
The term Kamut is not a designation for the grain variety, but a protected product designation for Khorasan wheat, which is grown organically. Colloquially, however, Kamut is used rather than Khorasan. No wonder, since it is much easier to pronounce and remember.
Urkorn is grown in southern Europe, because it loves very warm and dry climate. Unlike normal wheat, this variety is much more robust to diseases.
Kamut nutritional values and calories per 100 grams
- Calories: 346
- Protein: 14.8 g
- Fat: 2.4 g
- Dietary fiber: 8.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 61.7 g
What is immediately noticeable is the high protein content. Kamut has 30 % more protein than modern cereals. As a result, it has excellent gluten properties and is particularly suitable for elastic doughs such as rolls or baguettes.
You can also find in kamut zinc, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin E, B1 and B2.
Our conclusion
Variety is the key! Instead of reaching for wheat rolls every time, try bread made from ancient grains. You can make delicious soups and stir-fries from most varieties of ancient grains. Try incorporating ancient grains into your recipes. Not only will it take your taste to a whole new level, but your body will thank you for the many nutrients.
Have fun tasting!
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