Saturday,
October 27, 2007
If there is Farro/Spelt
--Why would you want Wheat?????
The
ANNOTICO Report
Wheat
is
bland and full of chemicals and whatever, Farro/Spelt has a great nutty Flavour,
Organic, Highly Nutritious, Easier to Digest.
In a world before wheat, spelt, a kind of proto-wheat. was
what people grew and ground to make flour, or didn't grind and used as a bulk
vegetable in soup and the like. The Macedonians were doing it 5,000 years ago. The Italians still do - they call it farro.
In
its natural state, spelt looks like an ear of wheat carved out of wood. Before
its armour-plated husk is removed, it has a kind of
massive solidity. And after the husk has gone, it looks like a long, stone-coloured grain, a cross between rice and barley. And that, is what it is.
The spelt mill is
inside is all state-of-the-art hoppers, sieves, bins, brushing machines, pearlers, polisher, magnets (You don't want the odd bit of
combine or tractor in our spelt), mill stones and extractor vacuums.
There isn't much
to see. The spelt goes in one end, has its husk removed ("We want to keep
it in the husk as long as possible, because it protects the grain against
disease and insects, and preserves the goodness in it") and wholewheat or refined flour, or pearlised
grains, come out the other.
If
a person is really concerned about what they eat. Commercial wheat is full
of flavour enhancers and stuff. But what are flavour enhancers? And what do they do to you? It could be
salt, sand or cyanide for all we know.
As for spelt, It's got a great nutty flavour. Mild. Unique. The flour makes great bread. And cakes, biscuits, pizza and pasta. And you can use the pearlised grains instead of rice or couscous - they soak up
flavour. And it's healthy."
It also is a substitute
for wheat for people with intolerances to flour - spelt has a brittle gluten
structure, which makes it easier to digest. And given its organic production
and careful, low-temperature milling, the finished product doesn't lose many of
its other highly nutritious qualities.
Convinced???
The Proto-Wheat Farm
Matthew Fort meets a
man whose life was changed by spelt in
Pete
Ticknell was a tyre fitter
for 23 years before he discovered spelt and changed his life for ever. For
those, like me, who don't know much about it, spelt is a kind of proto-wheat.
In a world before wheat, it was what people grew and ground to make flour, or
didn't grind and used as a bulk vegetable in soup and the like. The Macedonians
were doing it 5,000 years ago. The Italians still do - they call it farro.
In its natural state, spelt looks like an ear of
wheat carved out of wood. Before its armour-plated
husk is removed, it has a kind of massive solidity. And after the husk has
gone, it looks like a long, stone-coloured grain, a
cross between rice and barley. And that, in a way, is what it is.
There's not much
of
The last time I
went to a flour mill, it was the water-driven one at Golspie
in
The mill is
housed inside an old barn that's been rebuilt to order and clad in
clapperboard. But if the outside has a nouveau rustic air, inside is all
state-of-the-art hoppers, sieves, bins, brushing machines, pearlers,
polisher, magnets ("We don't want the odd bit of combine or tractor in our
spelt," Pete explained), mill stones and extractor vacuums. There isn't a
trace of flour anywhere, except in the bags where it's supposed to be.
There isn't much
to see here, either. The spelt goes in one end, has its husk removed ("We
want to keep it in the husk as long as possible, because it protects the grain
against disease and insects, and preserves the goodness in it") and wholewheat or refined flour, or pearlised
grains, come out the other.
But the lack of
romance doesn't bother Pete: he has the enthusiasm of a boy with a new toy.
He's been in the job only 12 months, but it has had a profound effect on the
way he lives. "I used to be a bit of a Ginsters
bloke - grab the nearest convenience food and stuff it down. Now I really think
about what I eat. Commercial wheat is full of flavour
enhancers and stuff. But what are flavour enhancers?
And what do they do to you? It could be salt, sand or cyanide for all we
know."
As for spelt,
"I love it. It's got a great nutty flavour. Mild. Unique. The flour makes great bread. And cakes, biscuits, pizza and pasta. And you can use the pearlised grains instead of rice or couscous - they soak up
flavour. And it's healthy."
It was the
healthier side of spelt that started Roger Saul growing the stuff at Sharpham in the first place, when he was looking for a
substitute for wheat for people with intolerances to flour - spelt has a
brittle gluten structure, which makes it easier to digest. And given its
organic production and careful, low-temperature milling, the finished product
doesn't lose many of its other highly nutritious qualities.
"To be
honest," Pete said, "it just gives me unbelievable satisfaction. It's
great to be part of something that's producing great, wholesome food. I look
out over the fields where the spelt is grown, it comes in here and I mill and
pack it. And it goes out. How many people can say that?"
The
ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (and are Archived) on:
Italia
Italia
Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com (3 years)
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net