Content area
Full Text
Chefs are rediscovering "ancient grains"-maybe you should, too.
The ancient Roman legions knew something that modern chefs are only now rediscovering: Farro, a form of wheat that originated in the Middle East's Fertile Crescent thousands of years ago, offers nutrition enough to march on with a nutty taste and pleasantly chewy texture. As chic restaurants around the country are demonstrating, farro is also versatile enough to substitute for rice and other more familiar grains in dishes ranging from risottos to salads, soups to breakfast bowls.
You'll get the most nutrition by buying wholegrain farro. "Like other whole grains, whole-grain farro includes not only the inner endosperm but also the nutrient-rich outer bran and germ," says Nicola M. McKeown, PhD, an associate professor at Tufts' Friedman School and scientific adviser to the Whole Grains Council <wholegrainscouncil.org>. "To make sure you're getting whole farro, avoid labels that say 'pearled,' which indicates that the outer bran has been removed. If you can't find whole-grain farro, choose 'semi-pearled' (semiperalato in Italian), which contains some of the fiber- and nutrient-rich bran intact."
ANCIENT GOODNESS: Farm is an example of an "ancient grain," a popular culinary trend in its own right-ancient grains and farro both made the National Restaurant Association's list of 100 foods that are...