Catching a Rainbow

Blé Noir, Sarrasin, or the common Buckwheat is awarded an almost mythical status in Brittany and forms the base of the famous Galettes de Blé Noir, a savoury pancake a speciality in Brittany.

Blé Noir (pronounced Blay nwar), which means black wheat, can be found all over the world and is made from the common buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum. It is the seeds of this plant, ground into a powder, which make the famous farine de Blé Noir or farine de Sarrasin which gives a clue as to how it came to be in France.



The buckwheat plant is in the same plant family as sorrel, dock weed and rhubarb and is not related to wheat or the other grasses as one might first expect. The plant has been cultivated in China for over a thousand years but wild varieties have been gathered and used as food for humans and fodder for livestock as long ago as 6000 BC.



It is generally accepted that Buckwheat was introduced into France by the crusaders returning from the Holy Lands. However, the plant was being cultivated in the Middle East long before then and was more likely introduced into the country during the ten years of Islamic expansionism following the death of their leader Mohammed.

The etymology of the word buckwheat also has differing theories of origin. One is that the name is of Scottish decent coming from the Anglo-Saxon words Boc for Beech and Whoet meaning wheat. The grains of buckwheat are similar in appearance to the nuts of the Beech Tree, being small and triangular in shape - but how the Scots came to be involved with a word of Anglo-Saxon descent is anyone’s guess.
The other claim to the name is of Dutch origin for the same reasons of beech and wheat. Which is true is not clear but it was the Dutch who introduced Blé Noir into France, commercially, in the 1500’s.

The Dutch may not have given the plant its name but it is believed that they were the first to introduce the crop into the USA. Although now a much-reduced crop in the USA, New York State is still one of the main production areas for Buckwheat in North America. Production reached a peak in the late 1800’s but by the mid 1960's the land set aside for Buckwheat had declined to about 50,000 acres and most of the world supply now comes from China and Russia.

How the famous grains came to be in Brittany and why the Bretons adopted them as a national food are more to do with climate and poverty rather than any particular national involvement. The mild damp climate of Brittany together with its soil is perfect for the growth of this inter crop. From a horticultural perspective buckwheat is known as a hundred day plant, being planted in June and cropped in August and can be grown on meagre soils in areas where other crops would suffer and fail. Originally a fodder crop meant for animals the buckwheat flourished even when the wheat crop failed and in Brittany this often meant the difference between survival and starvation.

Buckwheat, if not buckwheat flour has and is still eaten all over the world. It is extensively cultivated in the Himalayas where Hindus often eat it during days of fasting, as a permitted food.
The Russian Army marched on rations of buckwheat and in Germany it forms the basis of a type of porridge.
In Brittany the grain is also malted and fermented into beer as well as being distilled in to Whisky.
In Poland the grain is used instead of barley in fruit cordials.
The Japanese mix the flour with hot water to make Soba noodles, which are often served with spicy sauces and stocks. Because noodles made out of pure buckwheat can easily fall apart when cooked, the buckwheat flour is usually mixed with binders such as wheat flour.

In Japanese law, for a noodle to be classed as Soba they must contain at least 30% buckwheat flour which makes noodles with high buckwheat content more desirable. This may be because they are more difficult to prepare, are less readily available and are generally more expensive. Soba is Japanese for buckwheat.

Buckwheat noodles are different and more difficult to make than their wheat counterparts. Wheat noodles, which include nearly all the different types of Italian pasta are held together by gluten, a long stranded protein.
Buckwheat on the other hand contains no gluten and so it is very difficult to make into noodles successfully, without them falling apart during cooking. Buckwheat is often combined with wheat flour, the latter acting as a binder holding the noodles together and making the preparation easier.
People with gluten intolerance should be aware that although buckwheat is free of gluten, buckwheat noodles seldom are as they are inevitable mixed with other binding agents, which contain gluten.

In Korea, buckwheat starch is used to make a jelly called memilmuk and in Eastern Europe the husks are used to make Kasha a type of porridge.
In Ukraine, yeast rolls called hrechanyky are made from buckwheat.

Unlike the widely consumed seeds, the buckwheat leaves are toxic to humans. Eaten in sufficient quantities, they can induce fagopyrism, which is an acute sensitivity to sunlight. Light pigmented livestock especially sheep and pigs and fair skinned people are particularly susceptible. However, buckwheat is the best-known source of high quality, easily digestible protein in the entire plant kingdom. It has high levels of vitamin B, phosphorus, potassium, and dietary fibre and also contains rutin, an organic compound that is effective in reducing cholesterol levels and keeping blood vessels strong and flexible. Buckwheat also contains eight essential amino acids, which the body cannot produce itself and is classed as a complex carbohydrate.



To see a fascinating video of noodle making in Japan click on the noodle making machine and be surprised

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Making Soba Noodles from Buckwheat flour


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References
http://www.linternaute.com/femmes/cuisine/magazine/dossier/0501crepes/tradition.shtml
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2341.html

http://www.pancakeparlour.com/Organics/Buckwheat/buckwheat.html
http://www.moulin-de-charbonniere.com/