FoodBanter.com - View Single Post

In article >,
(Alex Rast) wrote:

> at Mon, 04 Apr 2005 01:50:16 GMT in <emma-8F2DC4.20501603042005@news-
> 50.dca.giganews.com>, (Emma Thackery) wrote :
>
> >
> >Unfortunately, I can no longer eat barley....

> None are even remotely close, neither in terms of texture nor taste. Millet
> has a much milder, milky flavour. It is a small, spherical grain, about
> half the size of a rice grain. When cooked, if you use 2 cups water/cup
> millet, it is fluffy. At 4 cups water/cup, it becomes mushy, a kind of
> porridge.
>
> Kasha (buckwheat) has a strong, earthy flavour. It is very fluffy indeed
> and cooks very quickly. Its shape is unique, sort of a wedge/triangle about
> the size of a wheat berry. Kasha is very popular in Russian cuisine. Use 2
> cups water/cup. Any more and it just dissolves into a paste. Excellent with
> mushrooms.
>
> Amaranth is the most dissimilar. It's a tiny grain, about the size of a
> mustard seed. Cooked, it has a gelatinous, almost slimy texture and a taste
> very strongly reminiscent of grass. It's much more porridgelike and you
> need 3 cups water per cup.

Thanks so much! That is very helpful. At least that gives me some idea
how to work with these grains and what they're like, though I have to
say that Amaranth doesn't sound the least bit appetizing.. lol. I've
been scouring the web looking for recipes that include kasha and millet.
But so often, what you find on the web is/sounds either tasteless
(poorly seasoned) or includes processed ingredients that contain gluten.
But I have found a few to try and surely once I have the taste and
texture set in mind, it will be easier to start substituting.

For soups with barley, I've already tried wild and brown rice which
works fairly well. I use a great deal of brown rice now (25# each month
or so) but, despite how great it is, the family does tire of it after
awhile. I'm also thinking of experimenting with oat groats (McCanns
which are generally uncontaminated by wheat). They take awile to cook
and might also be a sub in some instances.

But I realize that sometimes, depending on one's tastes, there are just
no acceptable substitutes. For instance, while rice pasta does not
stand up well against tomato sauce, it's just fine for most Asian and
other dishes. So sometimes, those of us with these food problems just
have to learn to eat differently.

> Is the problem that you're gluten intolerant?

Yes, I was diagnosed this winter with celiac disease. Going to a
gluten-free diet was like a miracle. For those who are unfamiliar,
Celiac is an inherited auto-immune disorder that causes quite an array
of symptoms including extreme digestive problems, malabsorption
syndrome, arthritic symptoms, osteoporosis, and a host of other
frequently misdiagnosed maladies. Only a small percentage of those who
carry the gene actually acquire the condition, however, and it affects
mostly people of northern European and Irish heritage. Incidence in the
US is now 1:130. In Ireland it is 1:80. On average in the US, it takes
11 years for people with Celiac to get diagnosed. The term "gluten" is
kind of a misnomer, even though it is the accepted terminology, since
even rice has gluten though it is a different type than is in wheat.
The offending protein is actually GLIADIN which is found in rye, barley
and all wheat relatives including tritcale, spelt and kamut. It is also
found in oats contaminated by wheat which is frequently the case.

> ...If so you're in for a rough
> time because the most similar substitutes for barley are all true grains,
> and AFAIK all contain constituent proteins that at least to some extent can
> form gluten (correct me anyone if I'm wrong) Now, probably the most similar
> is farro, a form of wheat with a softer texture popular in Italy. After
> that, I'd have to say rye were next, although it has a considerably
> stronger flavour. Lighter in flavour are short-grain rices. Wild rice isn't
> very similar to barley but seems to work in the same dishes that barley
> works in so it might be acceptable.

Thanks again, your insights are very helpful

Emma