By Sophie Dahl
This is flour milled from buckwheat, a cold climate plant from the same family as rhubarb, sorrel and dock. Buckwheat’s pointed, triangular seeds resemble cereal grains, and the fine-textured flour is grey-ish, speckled with black. It has a strong, distinctive, slightly sour and nutty taste and is rich in vitamins and minerals and low in calories. It’s also gluten-free, so it can be used by those on a special diet.
Flower power pizza
Apple, rocket and feta buckwheat galettes
Buckwheat pancakes with smoked salmon and citrus cream cheese
Buckwheat blinis with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon
Buckwheat and butternut cupcakes with tahini maple icing
Triple chocolate buckwheat cookies
Buckwheat flour is available from health food stores.
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
The flour is often combined with wheat flour before use. It is made into pancakes and bread in USA, Russia, India, China, and Brittany in Northwest France, where it is also used in rustic porridges, savoury pancakes called galettes and fruit flans. It is added to pierogi dumplings, bread and cakes throughout Eastern Europe; and to noodles in Japan.
Article by Sejal Sukhadwala
Type the ingredients you want to use, then click Go. For better results you can use quotation marks around phrases (e.g. "chicken breast"). Alternatively you can search by chef, programme, cuisine, diet, or dish (e.g. Lasagne).
