A lot of the awesome shows on food network and even the more avant garde chefs are including “farro” in their recipes. What what the heck is it? Well, we’e about to give you the 411 on this amazing ingredient that is taking the culinary world by storm.
Farro is a supergrain.Essentially is it is wheat, but it has become a great substitute for rice and pasta .
There are three kinds: Pearled, semi-pearled and whole grain.
Here are 2 amazing facts about farro that are worth knowing!
- Farro is pronounced FAHR-oh.
- You’ll find farro in risotto in place of rice and in salads as a nutty element.
- Whole grain farro is tough to cook. You’ll want pearled or semi-pearled which cooks much faster.
- Whole grain farro is high in fiber and nutrients like Vitamin B3 and zinc, but it also requires overnight soaking, so it’s not that convenient.
- Farro has been cultivated in Italy for centuries. It’s best eaten in the semipearled variety . In Italy it is know as semiperlato.
- Farro is great in breakfast dishes
- It’s good in soups and has a nice nutty texture that tatses like a bit like al dente pasta.
- It has been found in the tombs of Egyptian kings.
- Roman emperors fed farro to their legons of soldiers.
- A great book on farro is: Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More by Maria Speck.
- There are three kinds of farro: Farro piccolo (einkorn), farro medio (emmer), and farro grande (spelt).
- You will find emmer most often in the U.S. (And on our farro for sale listing on CulinaryHispter.com.
- Farro is not spelt. That is a different grain all together.
- Pearled farro takes the least time to cook, but has no bran (the good stuff!) at all.
- It takes semi-pearled farro about about 15 to 25 minutes to cook.
- Whole grain farro can be cooked in 30 to 40 minutes if it previously is soaked overnight.
- Chefs love farro because it has a nutty flavor, delicate chew, and wide versatility.
- The semi-pearled variety of farro means it retains some, but not all of its bran and nutrients. But it is easy to cook.
- Farro can also be made into farro pasta.
- One preparation that everyone loves is farrotto—farro cooked like risotto.
- Farro consists of complex carbohydrates so it’s rich in the cyanogenic glucosides that stimulate the immune system, regulate blood sugar levels, and supposedly lower cholesterol.
- Farro is not gluten-free, but it is considerably lower in gluten than commercial wheat varieties so it’s a good alternative if you are looking for a low gluten choice.
- When buying domestic whole-grain farro, you are supporting U.S. farmers.
- What some farro? Get it here! Buy farro online
- Where can I find farro recipes? Get 10 awesome farro recipes here.
