Farro, Italy's Rustic Staple: The Little Grain That Could (Published 1997) (2024)

FAQs

What is the Italian grain farro? ›

What Is Farro? Imagine the taste of brown rice, only with a nuttier flavor and pleasantly chewier texture. This Italian-born grain dates back to ancient Rome. While it's sometimes confused with barley or spelt, farro has its own unique flavor and texture.

Also, be advised that farro contains gluten. If you have celiac disease or are otherwise gluten intolerant, avoid the grain. As you may have guessed, you'll also want to sidestep farro if you have a wheat allergy.

Farro grains are mentioned in the Old Testament. The first reference to ancient grains as a health food was in Daily News (New York) in 1996.

A grain rich in history

Farro may be one of the world's oldest cultivated grains. Archaeologists studying sites in the Fertile Crescent dating back over 10,000 years have discovered evidence of domesticated farro, and it spread from there to become one of the most commonly cultivated crops across classical antiquity.

"Farro is a great source of fiber, iron, protein and magnesium. With all of those nutrients in this little grain, it can provide a lot of health benefits for your diabetes or for heart health or for brain health." Cook farro on the stovetop, in a slower cooker or in the oven. It doesn't expand as much as rice or pasta.

Are you surprised? Nutritionally speaking, both grains are pretty much exactly the same. While they're both high in fiber and protein, farro has slightly more carbs but also offers more calcium than quinoa. If you're new to farro, try this radish, kale, and farro salad.

What did Jesus eat on a typical day? The short answer: a lot of bread. Bread was a staple in the typical daily diet in the first-century Greco-Roman world, supplemented with limited amounts of local fruits and vegetables, oil, and salt. Bread in first-century Galilee would have been made with wheat or barley flour.

Farro is an ethnobotanical term for three species of hulled wheat: spelt (Triticum spelta), emmer (Triticum dicoccum), and einkorn (Triticum monococcum). Hulled wheat is wheat that cannot be threshed. In Italian cuisine, the three species are sometimes distinguished as farro grande, farro medio, and farro piccolo.

Farro is a hearty addition to salads and soups. It's especially wonderful with some garlic and olive oil stirred in while it's still warm. Farro is a nice alternative to wild rice, brown rice, quinoa and other whole grains. It's a healthy plant-based source of protein, iron and fiber.

You can then drain and dress the farro and use it in other preparations if you wish, or eat it as a side dish. Raw grains may be eaten whole as a breakfast food if soaked overnight. Whole farro may be flaked and used as a breakfast cereal or added to baked goods.

Is farro better than wheat? ›

Ancient types of wheat, such as farro, contain more protein than the modern varieties of wheat in bread. This may be useful for people who wish to eat more plant-based protein or follow vegetarian or vegan diets.

Farro is versatile and can be replaced in most recipes with spelt berries, wheat berries, and Kamut berries. If you want a gluten-free substitute, sorghum, brown rice, or oat groats will make good replacements in most recipes.

In the United States, farro is nearly always sold pearled, which means the bran has been removed so it needs less cooking time than whole farro, which has the bran intact, or semi-pearled farro, which retains some of the bran and is the most common variety found in Italy.

Farro is an ethnobotanical term for three species of hulled wheat: spelt (Triticum spelta), emmer (Triticum dicoccum), and einkorn (Triticum monococcum). Hulled wheat is wheat that cannot be threshed. In Italian cuisine, the three species are sometimes distinguished as farro grande, farro medio, and farro piccolo.

Farro is classified as Triticum dicoccum, whereas spelt is Triticum spelta. The differences between the two are subtle but notable. There are differences in taste, size, shape, and texture. Farro has a nutty flavor, whereas spelt is sweeter and has a lighter taste.