Volantino

THE HAPPY UNIVERSE OF GRAINS “Grains” are produced by different herbaceous plants belonging to the family of Gramineae. They are widespread and consumed worldwide due to their environmental adaptability and because they represent a source of food energy that is easy to preserve. There are grains suitable for every climate and every great ancient civilisation grew its grain: wheat in Europe, Egypt and Asia minor, rice in Asia, corn in America, millet and sorghum in Africa, teff in Ethiopia, etc. And now, let’s find out the most common and most important grains in our diet! • WHEAT : also known as grain, it is the most grain in our country. It includes common wheat, mainly used to prepare bread and baked products, and durum wheat, used for the production of pasta and bread. A particular type of “dressed” wheat (so called because, at the time of threshing, the kernel is not stripped of its fibrous coating) is spelt, of which there are three species: small spelt (einkorn spelt), medium spelt (emmer spelt), spelt (triticum spelta); • RICE : a gluten-free grain, mainly consumed in the form of a whole grain. The most consumed types of rice in Italy are refined rice (white rice, without pericarp and germ and very poor in fibre), and brown rice (or wholemeal husked rice) which requires longer cooking times and is richer in fibre. Parboiled rice is also widely used, a type of white rice which, thanks to hydrothermal processing, has a higher micronutrient content than refined rice; • CORN : a gluten-free grain, originally from Central America. In Italy it is used for the production of polenta, as sweet corn, generally sold boiled and canned, or as popcorn, corn-flakes and crackers; • RYE : mainly grown in Europe and its flour is used for bread making, also mixed with other grains; • OAT : originally from Asia minor and is found on the market in the form of flour or flakes. In combination with other grains it is used for the production of bread and other derivatives; • BARLEY : one of the first grains to be grown. It can be found on the market as whole barley (very rich in fibre), as hulled barley (with a medium fibre content) or as pearl barley (with a lower fibre content). Barley can be toasted and ground for the preparation of beverages, but also transformed into malt for the production of beer or used as sweetener in the production of some food. PASSPORT