What On Earth is a Wheat Berry?

A picture of wheat berries

You may have wondered while shopping in the market, what on earth is this bag of things called wheat berries? Thinking you'll be adventurous you pick up a bag at less than $1.00 a pound to try and find that you are at a loss for cooking ideas and really have no idea what these things are. I too was in the same boat and after some internet sluthing I came to the conclusion that wheat berries are an awesome grain to add to salads, soups, and bread and pack a wonderful and nutritious punch despite their low price

 

 

 

 

 

So what are they and why are they good for me?

 




From http://yankeegalscafe.com/2010/10/20/wheat-berries/

  Wheat berries or wheat kernels are the seed of the wheat plant and they consist of three parts...the germ, bran, and endosperm. There are more than 40 of these nutritious marvels on each stalk of wheat. These "seeds" are what are ground to make "whole wheat" flour (be advised whole wheat flour is much more nutrtious than wheat flour which has the bran or the germ removed. Unlike white flour which consists only of the starchy endosperm, wheat berries and whole wheat flour contain all three parts of the seed. The addition of the bran and germ to the endosperm adds a boost of vitamins and minerals these nutritional powerhouse foods. According to Leslie Beck's RD blog wheat berries are an excellent source of manganese, selenium, phosphorus and magnesium, as well as fiber and protein. These berries also contain  lignans, a phytochemical thought to guard against breast and prostate cancer.

 

 

 

Nutrition information per 1/2 cup serving  

 

Calories	111 kcal
Protein	3.5 g
Carbohydrate	24.9 g
Fibre	4.3 g
Fat	0.5 g
Sodium	3 mg
Cholesterol	0 mg

 

What do I do with them?

 

So you may be wondering, now that I know what a wheat berry is and why I should eat them...how exactly should I prepare them? Thanks to our friends at Opperation Food Search...we can solve your worries with the following recipie. Like before, most of the ingredients can be purchased at City Greens Produce with the other ingredients easy to find.

Wheatberries with Portabella Mushrooms 

Ingredients

1 large portabello mushroom

2cups wheatberries

7 cups water or broth

2T olive oil

1/4 cup onions

1 T Salt

Directions

1. Soak wheatberries in water for at least an hour
2. Coat saucepan with olive oil
3. Add onions and mushrooms
4. Saute until soft
5. Add wheat berries and water
6. Add salt
7. Boil for at least 50 minutes or until soft and tender