Barley

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

The barley / Hordeum vulgare / is a very important forage technical crop, which in some countries is also food. Barley is grown in temperate parts of the world, the most valuable being its grain. Around 800 million decares of this crop are sown worldwide - half of them in China and Russia.

The barley is a low or moderately high cereal plant, whose height varies from 35 to 130 cm. It has a short growth period, is sown in October and harvested before the end of summer - in early August.

The barley is one of the best plants adapted to any conditions. It can grow in very low temperatures and drought, to feed on mineral-poor soil.

In our country the sown areas with barley have reached almost 5 million decares, but due to the emerging changes in the climate and the reduction of the number of productive animals, at the beginning of the 21st century the area is reduced almost twice.

The barley is one of the oldest cereals known to mankind. It is believed that 10,000 years ago the inhabitants of the deserts in southwestern Asia fed themselves and their animals with barley grains. Some more recent research shows that barley first appeared in the southeastern regions of Asia or in the mountainous regions of present-day Ethiopia.

Nowadays, barley has significantly lost its position in relation to corn. While in the Middle Ages it was extremely popular, today it is not.

Composition of barley

Barley is rich in valuable vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and B9. Of the minerals, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc are best represented. Barley is rich in amino acids, especially lysine. 100 g of barley contain 354 kcal, 9.45% water, 17.3 g of fiber, 0.8 g of sugars, 2.3 g of fat, 12.5 g of protein, 73.5 g of carbohydrates and 0 mg of cholesterol.

Selection and storage of barley

There are several main products from barleythat are found in the market. First of all, this is cleaned barley. In it, only the outer shell of the grain is removed, but the inner cellulose coating and the germ are there. Only a small part of the fibers and ingredients are lost. This is the most nutritious form of barley.

Cooking barley is triple polished clean, which means that it has lost much of its useful properties.

Pearl barley is peeled four to six times, which means that almost all important substances are missing.

Barley nuts are much less popular than oatmeal, but they are not inferior in any way. Barley flour is darker than wheat and has a light nutty taste.

When buying these products, look for any damage to the packaging and be sure to check the suitability of the label.

Look for nuts or flours from barleywhich have content on the label. In terms of storage, it is sufficient to follow the instructions on the packaging and monitor the expiration dates. Keep barley products in a dry, dark and cool place.

Barley in cooking

The barley it is not very popular in cooking due to the widespread belief that it can only be used as animal feed. This is not the case at all, because properly cooked barley can be not only tasty but also very useful.

The most common way to prepare barley nuts by boiling. They are boiled in milk or water for about 20 minutes and are ready for consumption. They can be consumed in the form of muesli with dried fruits or nuts / a very nutritious breakfast / or as a porridge with cheese and vegetables.

Barley beans are cooked much longer than barley nuts, in addition, they must be pre-soaked in water for several hours. Sour, baked and then cooked on low heat for about 45 minutes, barley nuts or flour can be used to make some pastries. They can be used in bread dough or diet cookies and cakes. In Asian cuisine, raw barley used to make the famous Miso paste.

According to a number of nutritionists, barley should be soaked and boiled very slowly, because only in this way can the starch and fiber contained in it be enriched, which guarantees its full absorption and good digestion. Prominent chefs recommend combining barley with rice in cold salads, which also contain fresh vegetables.

Benefits of barley

The amino acid lysine, which is part of barley, has a well-defined antimicrobial and antiviral effect, especially on microbes, herpes and cold viruses. In addition, lysine is actively involved in the formation of collagen, which gives a smooth and elastic appearance to the skin. Vitamins from the B-group are responsible for the proper functioning of the nervous system, as well as for good hair and skin.

The content of phosphorus in barley is twice as high as in other cereals, and as it is known, it is considered a "trace element of athletes" because it determines the strength and speed of muscle contractions. Barley porridge contains fiber, which cleanses the body of toxins, in addition, it contains substances that prevent the deposition of fat on the waist. That is why nutritionists recommend barley porridge to anyone who wants to lose weight.

Diet with barley

Once we find that barley helps reduce fat, let's look at a proper diet. It is effective and very easy because it does not require much effort to prepare the product.

Boil the barley porridge without any additives of salt, sugar or other spices. The beans must be boiled very well. The porridge is stored in the refrigerator. It is consumed in unlimited quantities for five days to a week, and the only other allowed products are tea and coffee / without sugar /, as well as water.