Black diamonds are the superfood you didn't know you needed…
May 3, 2024 | Read online
Dear Frenchry readers,
called buckwheat Brenoir or Sarasin In French, despite its name, it is not wheat at all. It's not grains, cereals, or even grass. This is a flowering plant in the knotweed family, more closely related to rhubarb than to wheat. It produces white flowers with a nutty scent that bees like, and produces seeds that we call “buckwheat''. Buckwheat originally came to the West via China. Seeds are tetrahedral and mauve-brown or green, depending on the variety and whether shelled or not. It can be toasted without cooking to make granola, boiled with salt and eggs to make kasha, ground into flour, added to salads like croutons, or as a crunchy part of chocolate bars or cookies. can do. My favorite cake maker, Dorie Greenspan, makes this buckwheat “invisible cake.” The name comes from thinly sliced apples hardened in a mixture of buckwheat flour, eggs, and milk, which melts and disappears while the cake is cooking, but retains a very apple taste.
Buckwheat came to the Middle East from China (where it was cultivated in 2600 BC) and eventually to Europe in the 15th century (although some sources say it dates back to the 13th century!) . Buckwheat won't grow if it's too hot or humid. If it's hot, it will flower and set seeds later in the cooler season. (In France, it is usually planted in May.) Buckwheat production requires pollinators, and the honey it produces is dark and rich, prized by beekeepers and mothers with sick children. . Buckwheat suffocates weeds, so it can be used in place of insecticides. It also does not require pesticides or fertilizers to grow. Buckwheat is a great cover crop because it nourishes the soil. Russia, China and Ukraine produce the most buckwheat in the world.
In the summer of 2022, when I was traveling through the French countryside with my family, I saw an amazing abundance of buckwheat. France is the fourth largest producer of buckwheat flour, much of which is grown in Brittany, where it is traditionally used to make galettes (dark, flavorful crepes) along with other breads and pastries. I am. The war in Ukraine and the general lack of enthusiasm for Russia among the French public have increased pressure within France to increase its domestic soba production. Buckwheat plays an important role in France. It is used to make the precious Bretonne galette, the aforementioned crepe. These galettes are naturally gluten-free and are most often made from finely ground buckwheat flour, water or milk, eggs, and salt. Some people call French buckwheat “black diamond.” And if it is grown in Brittany (though it is grown throughout France), it is given specific protection designation. Like many things in France, buckwheat's status as a special French food extends to the peasant communities and bakeries that use it, depending on how you look at it.
Soba also has a long tradition in Maine. It is grown in the northern Saint John Valley, where it is hybridized with potatoes. Ever since the 1780s, when the first French Canadian settlers arrived and cultivated it, it was often ground to make the French Acadian pancake known as ploy. We tend to grow dark, hardy varieties of buckwheat here, but there are also green varieties.
Buckwheat has amazing properties and is widely regarded as a “superfood.” It has anti-cancer and antioxidant properties, may be a better “carbohydrate” for diabetics as it lowers blood sugar levels, and is rich in protein. Among other things, it is rich in lysine, which has anti-inflammatory properties and fights viruses. For people like me and my family, this is a boon because we don't eat gluten. Traveling around France shows you that you can survive anywhere. Sarasin Crepes are made because they are often made on a different griddle than flour crepes. (You have to ask.)
Speaking of my trip to France, the most beautiful buckwheat I ever saw was milled and sold in paper bags at the Chamberlin Bakery in Paris. I bought two, wrapped them in a T-shirt, and put them in my suitcase. When I got home and opened the bag, my question was answered. French buckwheat flour is so soft and perfectly milled that it resembles cake flour. Galettes, crepes, or breads made with that flour were light and fluffy. Much more so than the dark, dark buckwheat you buy here in Maine.
But whatever I get here, I love it. Now that I'm tired of rice flour, soba has opened up new horizons. I'm still learning how to use it, but I often mix it into bread dough, and my kids love lightly toasted buckwheat crepes cooked in butter and topped with egg and cheese. Be careful not to burn the soba as it will taste bitter. Dark buckwheat flour (unlike the soft, almost white flour from France) can add a grayish tint to bread. I tend to work with this more than against it by topping my bread with black sesame seeds and poppy seeds.
Cooking, food, and how you spend your weekends:
Well, I've spent more time than I'd like to admit over the past two weeks researching, cross-researching, and fact-checking distinct places to safely eat gluten-free in Paris. That labor of love is published today. I'm confident in this list because there are some great discoveries out there and many places I've actually tried. The others were new to me and required a lot of work to make sure they were safe for people with celiac disease. This was a much more difficult task than I had imagined. All the places I chose had to be satisfying enough even for gluten eaters.
But as I wrote this, I became even more confident: Paris (in fact, all of France) is a city where it's easy to be a GF. It's so easy because so many of the ingredients are fresh and whole and there's an incredible amount of awareness and care to the food. No matter where you are, you can stay well-nourished and get the essentials by asking the right questions and following a few rules: focusing on meat, dairy, eggs, vegetables, and fruit. Please rest assured. If you can't leave France without trying some pain au chocolat or baguette, we've got you covered with lots of great bakeries that are totally his GF. We'll also introduce you to two very special GF Italian restaurants and another his GF spot for dim sum. Pretty cool.
Speaking of buckwheat and girlfriends, the famous Kate Christensen has a new recipe for a buckwheat galette with spring vegetables in her Boeuf column. This is now. This is the perfect lepa for a day spent in the garden. I'm asking my family to make this for Mother's Day.
Watch: There's a new French comedy on Netflix. Big failure It's about a first-time film director where everything goes wrong. At the very least, it's worth having a few laughs and spending some time learning the language.
If you're watching this like I am alice and jack Are you wondering why on earth you're watching it on PBS? It's basically one day, Middle-aged version. I'm going to finish it, but I'm not happy.
Or maybe you decide to see Clive Owen in France instead. monsieur spade?Please tell me how it goes…?
Have a soba-filled weekend!
Biant,
caitlin
Caitlin Shetterly is the author of the novel Pete and Alice of Maine; new york times Said, “Shetterly's debut film achieves a subtle elegance, a quality of light and shadow worthy of a Bergman film. ” Pete and Alice in Maine It has come out It was published as a paperback this month.
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