Description

Organic Flour – Buckwheat Flour from Switzerland

Buckwheat is an ancestral cereal

Starchy buckwheat seeds are quite large but can be processed like cereals. Buckwheat does not contain gluten and can be used instead of wheat, barley or rye.

History

There are two types of buckwheat: the original buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) or common buckwheat and the Tatar buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum). Common buckwheat is the most cultivated. Tatar buckwheat was grown in the harsher and colder climatic zones. Both species of buckwheat are diploid, meaning they evolved directly from wild forms. It is believed that the origin of common buckwheat evolved from a wild variety from eastern Tibet. Then from eastern China, it spread to Japan, India, Western Asia and Europe. It is also suspected that Tatar buckwheat may have originated in central Tibet. Wild varieties can be found in central, eastern Tibet and Sichuan Province in China. Wild varieties of buckwheat grow on poor soils, in steep and rocky areas. Its origin dates back to 6000 BC,

Buckwheat arrived in Switzerland at the end of the Middle Ages and became an important crop in several regions of Switzerland. The Saracen we sell comes from the canton of Graubünden in the Swiss Alps.

Botany

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum) is not a real cereal. The name is derived from faine-shaped seeds and wheat-like ingredients. It belongs to the Family Polygonaceae. A striking feature of this family is the nodular structure of the stems. The nodes are where the leaves attach. The plant begins to bloom early, at a height of 16 inches. It constantly forms new flowers and can eventually reach a height of 31- 59 inches. Growth is stopped by the first night frosts. It takes only 30 days between sowing at the end of May and flowering. Buckwheat is considered an excellent beekeeping plant because it blooms continuously and especially during months when there are few plants that provide nectar to bees. Added to this is the long flowering period. Buckwheat is dependent on bees for fertilization, because if they are absent, the fruit remains sterile. The color of the flowers varies between white and bright pink; the flowering period lasts one day. There are two types of flowers in common buckwheat, each appearing separately on different seedlings.

Culture

The growing season of buckwheat lasts only 10-12 weeks. Thanks to this short growing season, cultivation is also possible at higher altitudes. It depletes little of the nutrients in the soil; it is more susceptible to frost than to diseases.

Nutrition

With a 100-gram serving of dry buckwheat providing 1,440 kilojoules (343 kilocalories) of food energy, or 380 kJ (92 kcal) cooked, buckwheat is a rich source (20% or more of the daily value) of protein, dietary fiber, four B vitamins and several dietary minerals, with a particularly high content (47-65% niacin, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus (table). Buckwheat contains 72% carbohydrates, including 10% dietary fiber, 3% fat, 13% protein and 10% water.

Gluten-free

Since buckwheat does not contain gluten, it can be consumed by people with gluten-related disorders, such as celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or dermatitis herpetiformis.

Sarrasin: Valeur nutritive pour 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 1,435 kJ (343 kcal)

Carbohydrates 71.5 g

Food fibres 10 g

Lipids 3.4 g

Saturated 0,741 g

Mono-unsaturated 1,04 g

Polyunsaturated 1,039 g

Omega-3 0.078 g

Omega-6 0.961 g

Proteins 13.25 g

Vitamins Quantity %DV†

Thiamine (B1) 9% 0,101 mg

Riboflavin (B2) 35% 0,425 mg

Niacin (B3) 47% 7,02 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5)25% 1,233 mg

Vitamin B6 16% 0,21 mg

Folate (B9) 8% 30 μg

Vitamin C 0% 0 mg

Mineral Quantity %DV†

Calcium 2% 18 mg

Copper 55% 1.1 mg

Iron 17% 2.2 mg

Magnesium 65% 231 mg

Manganesis 62% 1.3 mg

Phosphore 50% 347 mg

Potassium 10% 460 mg

Selenium 12% 8.3 μg

Sodium 0% 1 mg

Zinc 25% 2.4 mg

Other constituents: Quantity Water 9.8 g