Pearl barley is a whole core of barley, which has the remains of grain shells. The oval or round shape and white or yellowish color of the nucleoli of this cereal really fully justify their name, because in French “pearl” is a pearl.
Delicious and healthy pearl barley for all the time of its existence managed to visit a purely royal dish and army ration. That's all, because initially grinding cereals was a very laborious and painstaking work, and the prices of the finished product were far from accessible to everyone. After simplifying the grinding process, this grits became very affordable and was included in the daily soldiers menu.
Barley is produced from cereal barley, which has been known to man since time immemorial as an unpretentious plant. The production process of this type of cereal includes: removal of flower films, the embryo and the fruit shell, grinding and polishing. Depending on the size of the resulting grains, pearl barley of five numbers is distinguished. Croup No. 1 is the largest, it passes through a sieve having a hole diameter of 3.5 mm, barley No. 2 is 3.0 mm, No. 3 is 2.5 mm, No. 4 is 2.0 mm, No. 5 (the smallest) - 1.5 mm. In addition, its shape depends on the number of cereals. So, at pearl barley under No. 1 and 2, grains have rounded ends and an elongated shape, and under numbers 3, 4 and 5 they have a round, spherical shape.
Barley is cultivated in many countries, as it is able to take root in any climate and adapt to any type of soil. Pearl barley, in turn, is widely used in cooking, and decoctions from it in traditional medicine. Porridge, first courses, meatballs, goulash and casseroles are prepared from it. Boil it very slowly and increases in volume by 6 times.
Pearl barley contains a lot of useful microelements and vitamins, it is rich in vitamins D, A and E, as well as B vitamins. In pearl barley there is a high content of potassium, calcium and iron, in addition, it contains copper, selenium, zinc, bromine, iodine , manganese and cobalt. In its amino acid and protein composition, it surpasses even rice and wheat, it contains a lot of lysine, which takes part in the synthesis of collagen.
Pearl barley: method of preparation
In order to cook nutritious and delicious pearl barley porridge, you need to know how to cook it properly. First, cereals must first be placed in cold water for 12 hours (a liter of water per cup of cereal). This is done to swell the grains, which will significantly reduce the cooking time. The water in which the cereal was soaked contains a large number of substances with pronounced antibiotic properties, so it is used to treat various fungal skin diseases.
A decoction of pearl barley has an enveloping and softening effect, and is used in the treatment of diseases of the digestive system. In addition, it has a diuretic, expectorant and restorative effect, during lactation it stimulates lactation.
Pearl barley: recipes
- Scottish pearl soup
Ingredients: 200 grams of lamb (goulash), 30 grams of green onion, 3 tbsp. l tomato paste, 120 grams of pearl barley, 80 grams of celery root, one carrot, 4 potatoes, salt, pepper, spices.
Fry the meat until golden brown, add the onion to it and simmer a little. After that, add tomato paste and simmer for another 7-10 minutes, then put the meat in a pan, pour water (to cover the meat), after boiling, salt, pepper and add pre-soaked barley. Wash the carrots, celery, peel and chop, add to the pan when the barley is almost ready. Cook until tender, garnish with herbs.
2. Pork belly with lecho and barley
Ingredients: 1 kg. pork belly, 800 grams lecho, 3 pcs. tomato, 1 tbsp. pearl barley, spices, salt, pepper.
Wash the meat, dry, cut into medium cubes and fry in vegetable oil for 10 minutes. Then add lecho, chopped tomatoes and seasoning. Simmer for 6-8 minutes, then add the swollen barley and a little water. Stew until the pearl barley is cooked (soft).
3. Barley casserole
Ingredients: 200 grams of ground pearl barley, 300 grams of minced meat, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 800 ml. water, 2 bouillon cubes.
Preheat the oven to 225 ° C. Fry the minced meat with onions and add the barley to them. Pour the mixture into a greased form and pour hot broth. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180 ° C and bake for another 40-45 minutes.