BARLEY PEARLED

Description

Profile: Barley in this form is the most prevalent. The phrase "pearled" refers to the partial removal of the outer husk and bran layers, leaving only a little white pearl, which decreases cooking time.

- 1/8-inch grains, off-white to beige

- Tastes nutty

- The texture is soft and chewy.

Details:

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is one of the oldest domesticated crops, with evidence of cultivation dating back approximately 10,000 years in Middle East. Barley, like emmer wheat, was a staple grain in ancient Egypt, used to manufacture both bread and beer, the world's first alcoholic beverage.

Unbelievably, barley was the inspiration for the English and American measurement systems. An inch was three to four barleycorns long (although by the 19th century standard inch measurements had superceded this folk measurement system).

After wheat, rice, and corn, barley is now the world's third-largest cereal. It may be grown in a variety of temperatures and is drought tolerant, but it prefers temperate climes. A lot of it is made in the USA and Canada.

Barley, like most other cereal crops, is a grass with stiff, inedible hulls. A pearled grain has had its bran and hull removed, leaving only a little white endosperm pearl. Unlike rice and wheat, barley contains fiber throughout the grain, therefore even Pearled Barley has a high fiber level. Pearled Barley is high in carbs and low in fat and cholesterol.

Pearled Barley is nutty in flavor and texture. It's fantastic in soups and stews, pilafs, and as a hot breakfast cereal.

Human eating is no longer the primary end use for barley. It's frequently grown for malt, a crucial element in brewing. In fact, 44% of US barley is malted. Aproximately 51% of the crop is fed to animals. Only 3% is planted for seed, while only 2% is grown for human use.