Whole grain spelled recipe. Spelled porridge: recipes

Find out how to cook spelled at home and what dishes you can make using it from our large selection!

The taste of the finished spelled is amazing - a light nutty hue with a bright wheat taste! The grains do not overcook, remaining whole, have a beautiful color with yellow and pinkish hues, are soft, and perfectly satiate.

If you are not fasting, when preparing porridge, add butter and replace half the water with milk. Spelled porridge with butter can replace meat, as it contains up to 25% protein and 18 essential amino acids.

• Spelled 1.5 tbsp
• Water 4.5 tbsp
• Greens to taste
• Tomatoes to taste

Rinse the cereal, place it in a Teflon bowl, and fill it with water. (1:3) Set up the cereal-rice program. (cook for 30-35 minutes).

At the end of cooking, add salt to taste. Decorate with greens.

If you don’t have a multicooker: rinse the cereal in cold water, put it in a saucepan with water (1 serving of cereal: 3 servings of water).

Mix everything and cook over low heat until the liquid has completely boiled away, add salt and sugar to the finished porridge to taste, let the porridge sit for 10-30 minutes.

Recipe 2: spelled with champignons (step-by-step photos)

This cereal goes well with any meat. To prepare the side dish you needed spelt, onions, garlic, herbs and champignons.

Chop the onion and garlic and fry in a small amount of vegetable oil. Add washed and chopped mushrooms to the pan.

Fry the mushrooms until done. Fill the spelled with cold water, add salt and cook for 15-20 minutes.

The time indicated on the cereal package is slightly incorrect. 10 minutes of spelt is not enough, al dente does not suit it.

The spelled is ready. Mix it with fried mushrooms.

Recipe 3: sweet spelled with nuts and fruits

Very tasty, sweet porridge, with juicy fruits and nuts. It is served cold and therefore can be a healthy dessert for adults and children. Bon appetit!

• spelled (whole wheat) 2 cups
• walnuts 1 cup
• honey 2-4 tbsp.
• dry prunes 15 berries
• pomegranate 1 piece
• orange 1 piece
• tangerine 1 piece
• zest of 1 lemon

Take the required amount of cereal and sort it out - separate all foreign impurities.

Wash the spelled and place in a colander to drain.

Place the cereal in a saucepan, pour boiling water (6 cups). Stirring, bring to a boil, add a pinch of salt and simmer over low heat for approximately 15-20 minutes. Try it, the spelled should not be too boiled, let it be elastic.

To season the porridge, we need about 0.5 cups of broth, so before draining the water, take a little broth from the pan.

Place the spelled in a colander to drain the remaining water and cool.

While the spelled is cooling, prepare the porridge dressing. Dry the peeled nuts (1 cup) in a frying pan over low heat. Stir and be careful not to burn.

Grind the nuts in a blender or pass through a meat grinder. The finer you chop the nuts, the better.

Prepare the fruit. Wash them and peel them.

Separate the pomegranate into grains, divide the orange and tangerine into slices and chop, chop the prunes finely.

Place the boiled and cooled spelt in a large bowl. Dissolve honey in 0.5 cups of cereal decoction.

Add honey dissolved in the broth, chopped nuts and lemon zest to the spelt.

Mix thoroughly.

Place the porridge on a dish in layers, sprinkle with chopped fruit.

Form a mound of cereals and fruits.

Decorate the surface and top.

Recipe 4: spelled porridge with caramelized pear

Let's prepare a delicious and satisfying porridge from spelled with a tasty additive, pears in aromatic caramel.

• Spelled (glass - 250 ml.) - 1.5 cups.
• Water - 1 glass.
• Milk - 2 cups.
• Cane sugar - 2 tsp.
• Salt (a little)

Caramelized pear

• Pear (large) - 1 piece
• Cane sugar (Mistral) - 150 g
• Water - 70 ml
• Vinegar (balsamic) - 50 ml

Rinse the spelled grain and soak in warm water for 1-2 hours, this will cook it faster, but this is not a necessary step. Then drain the water, add a glass of fresh water, add sugar and a little salt, bring to a boil and cook on low gas until all the water is absorbed.

At the same time, heat the milk, you can use it in the microwave, when all the water is absorbed into the cereal, add hot milk, bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the porridge is cooking, let's prepare a delicious caramel. For caramel and porridge, I used cane sugar from the Mistral company.

Boil the caramel without stirring for about 5-7 minutes, then add vinegar and boil for another 5 minutes.

When the caramel boils with bubbles like this:

Add pears cut into medium pieces.

Stir, bring to a boil, simmer for 1-2 minutes, no more, and remove from heat. Keep caramel warm.

Place the finished porridge in a bowl.

Place caramel-coated pears on top.

You can additionally drizzle with caramel when serving. This is delicious!

Recipe 5: spelled porridge with milk at home

• Spelled 1 cup
• Milk 2-2.5 cups
• Water 1.5 cups
• Salt to taste
• Sugar to taste (I used 1 tbsp)
• Butter as desired
• Olive oil 1 tsp. per adult portion, 0.5 per child portion

First, choose a glass (larger or smaller), and we will use it to measure everything. I took a small glass and filled it with cereal.

I take a pan in which I will cook the porridge (I have 2.5 liters). I pour the cereal from the glass into the pan, pour in water and rinse, drain the water. I wash the cereal three times.

Now I take the same glass that I filled with spelled, measure out 1.5 cups of water and pour it into the pan with the cereal. I measure out the milk in the amount of 2 cups (if you want the porridge to be watery, you can add 2.5 cups), and also pour it into the pan with the cereal.

Add salt and sugar (1 tablespoon) to taste. I put the pan with all the added ingredients on the stove over high heat and bring the porridge to a boil.

The main thing is not to go far before it boils so that the porridge does not run away. As soon as the porridge boils, I reduce the heat to the very minimum. If it is not possible to stand at the stove, then I leave a spoon in the pan, as in the photo (the likelihood of the porridge running away decreases) and immediately set the cooking mode to the very minimum (it turns out a little longer, but sometimes it’s more convenient).

After the porridge boils, cover the pan with a lid and cook on low for 30-40 minutes. I stir the porridge periodically.

The porridge has thickened, the cereal is soft. Now the important point is to leave the porridge for about 20 minutes. Spelled groats do not soften during cooking, but swell and the result is a sparkling porridge.

I serve the porridge hot. If desired, you can add butter. If you are feeding your favorite child, it is useful to add 0.5 tsp. olive oil. The porridge turns out very tasty (wheat taste with a nutty note). Enjoy your meal!

Recipe 6: how to cook lean spelled porridge

Spelled porridge is an old Russian dish, most often it was prepared in a Russian oven. The process of cooking, or rather simmering, for porridge is long. This dish will be quite relevant for a Lenten table. The porridge turns out very filling and tasty. Before cooking, I recommend soaking it in cold water overnight, which reduces its cooking time. I don’t soak the grains, but I cook them a little longer than the allotted time. To prevent the porridge from turning out dry, add honey and dried fruits, for example.

• spelled cereal 1 cup.
• water 2 cups.
• salt to taste
• onion 1 pc.
• vegetable oil 1 tbsp.

Recipe 7: how to make spelled with vegetables (step by step)

The forgotten cereal, which is remembered only in the context of Pushkin’s fairy tale, is experiencing a rebirth today. The ancestor of modern wheat, spelled, is rich in vitamins, macro- and microelements and various beneficial substances. Let's try combining it with vegetables? We are sure that this union is worth trying!

• water 500 ml.
• spelled 175 gr.
• onion 15 gr.
• carrots 100 gr.
• zucchini 100 gr.
• bell pepper 100 gr.
• tomatoes 150 gr.
• parsley
• dill 10 gr.
• olive oil

Boil two glasses of water. Rinse the cereal in cold water and add to boiling water. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 15 minutes.

Finely chop the onion, cut the carrots into cubes. Heat a saucepan and pour in half a tablespoon of olive oil. Fry the onion until translucent, add the carrots and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Cut the zucchini into cubes.

Remove seeds from pepper and chop coarsely. Add to the saucepan, stir, cover with a lid. Simmer for 7-10 minutes.

Wash and chop the tomatoes as desired, add to the saucepan with the vegetables. Add salt and mix. Add spelled to the vegetables, cook everything together for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off and remove from heat.

Wash and chop the greens, add to the saucepan. Mix everything.

Serve hot.

Recipe 8: Italian salad with spelled and vegetables

• Spelled or pearl barley - 400 g
• Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
• Red bell pepper - 2 pcs.
• Cucumber - 1 pc.
• Red onion - 1 pc.
• Balsamic vinegar or lemon juice - 2 tbsp.
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper

Boil the cereal in lightly salted water until tender. Of course, al dente is better. Cooking time depends on the type of cereal you will use. Drain the water and let the cereal cool.

Remove seeds from peppers. Cut all vegetables into small cubes, onion - as small as possible. Chop the basil leaves.
Mix vegetables with cereal and basil, season with salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice to your taste.

I am absolutely sure that you will love him very much too. Unexpectedly delicious.

Recipe 9, simple: lazy peppers with spelled

• onion 2 pcs
• butter 40 g
• spelled 1.5 cups. aka spelled
• carrots 3 pcs medium
• chicken fillet 700 g I have filet mignons. Or you can replace it with any other meat. Or you can do it without meat at all.
• oyster mushrooms 300 g
• sweet pepper 6 pcs
• salt 30 g
• chipotle pepper 5 g
• dried oregano 10 g
• dried marjoram 10 g
• ground coriander 10 g
• fresh basil 2 sprigs
• tomatoes in their own juice 400 g without skin, chopped
• vegetable oil for frying 20 ml

Melt the butter in a cast iron pan or large heavy-walled saucepan. Sauté diced onion in oil.

Add thoroughly washed spelt. Stirring constantly, cook the onion and spelled over medium heat until the spelled begins to turn slightly white.

Add carrots, grated on a coarse grater. Cook for about ten minutes until it starts to soften.

Pour boiled water into the patch so that the water is not higher than the food level :). Close the lid and leave on medium heat for 40 minutes.

We wash the chicken. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil. Place the chicken and salt it.

Fry the oyster mushrooms cut into slices.

After 40 minutes of cooking the spelled, place the slightly crispy chicken in the patch.

Then add the fried mushrooms.

Washed, peeled and cut into rings peppers, chipotle peppers (here, as they say: “Jews! Don’t skimp on the tea leaves!”), oregano, marjoram, coriander and, of course, salt go there.

Mix thoroughly, add tomatoes, pour boiling water so that the water does not cover the dish, but almost reaches the top. Leave to cook for 30 minutes.

Turn off the heat, place a couple of basil sprigs on top and leave to stand covered for 10 minutes.

Recipe 10: Armenian onion soup with spelled (with photo)

Sohapur is a very delicate and unusual soup, a Caucasian variety of onion soup. In this recipe, leeks are used almost entirely, along with the green part.

• leek – 200 g
• potatoes – 1-3 pcs. (100 g)
• whole spelled – 100 g
• spelled flour - 2 tbsp. spoons
• Ghee - 10 g
• salt pepper
• cilantro or tarragon for serving

Wash the leeks and cut into rings.

The green, coarser part can be baked in a dry frying pan until lightly charred - for a baked taste.

Pour the onion with cold water (1.5 - 2 liters) and cook over medium heat.

Fry the flour in oil until it has a pleasant nutty aroma, remove from the heat and pour in a little water from the pan with the onions, stir until smooth, then gradually add water a little at a time, stirring until it reaches the consistency of liquid sour cream.

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How is spelled porridge prepared? The recipe for this dish will be presented in the materials of this article. You will also learn about what the mentioned cereal is.

What is spelt? Recipes for making porridge from this cereal are known to few housewives. Moreover, not all cooks know about its existence.

According to experienced chefs, spelt, or spelled wheat, is a group of species of the genus Wheat with filmy grains, as well as brittle ears.

The mentioned plant includes such wild species as einkorn wheat, single-awned einkorn, double-awned einkorn and Urart wheat. There are also cultivated types: einkorn, spelled, makha wheat and Timofeev's wheat. Of the listed species that are directly related to emmer, emmer is the most commonly cultivated.

Spelled is distinguished by grains with non-threshing films. This crop is also characterized by brittle ears, brick-red color, unpretentiousness and early ripening. It should also be said that it is extremely resistant to various fungal diseases.

Spelled porridge: step-by-step recipe

There are many options on how to make such a tasty and nutritious dish. Most people cook spelled porridge using milk. However, some cooks prefer to make it using ordinary drinking water. Of course, in this case the dish turns out to be less calorie and tasty. But for dietary nutrition it is best suited.

So how is spelled porridge prepared? The recipe, implemented on water, requires the use of:

• spelled - about one glass;
• beet sugar - use to taste (you need about one large spoon);
• olive oil - about one dessert spoon per adult serving.

Cooking process

Diet spelled porridge, the recipe for which we are considering, is prepared quite simply. First, the grains are carefully sorted and washed several times in cool water. Next, it is placed in a deep pan in which it is planned to cook the dish. After filling the spelled with one and a half glasses of water, place it on low heat. After the liquid boils, the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Cook the porridge for about five minutes. Then you again need to pour in drinking water in the amount of two glasses. If you want a less thick dish, you can use a little more liquid.

At the same time, sugar and salt are added to the spelled (to your taste). After mixing the ingredients, cover them with a lid. In this form, the dish is cooked on the lowest heat for about forty minutes. At the same time, periodically stir the porridge with a spoon so that it does not stick to the bottom of the dish.

20 minutes after the start of cooking, the spelled should swell noticeably. At the end of the heat treatment, the cereal will completely absorb water and become soft and coarse. In this case, the porridge itself will turn out to be either viscous or crumbly (depending on the amount of water added).

Once the dish is cooked, it is tightly closed with a lid, removed from the stove and wrapped in a thick blanket. In this form, the porridge is allowed to rest for ¼ hour.

How to serve porridge for lunch?

Now you know how spelled porridge is prepared. The recipe for this delicious dish was presented above. It is served only hot. After placing the porridge on a plate, season it with olive oil (you can add butter if desired).

It should immediately be noted that spelled porridge with milk is prepared in the same way. In this case, use 1.5 glasses of water and 2-2.5 glasses of milk.

Spelled porridge: Armenian recipe

In Armenia, the dish in question is usually prepared using mushrooms and meat. We will describe exactly how this culinary process is carried out right now.

So what needs to be prepared to make a very tasty Armenian spelled porridge? The recipe, implemented in a slow cooker, requires the use of:

• spelled - about one glass;
• regular drinking water - 3.5 glasses;
• table salt - add to your taste;
• olive oil - optional;
• fresh champignons - 4 pcs.;
• butter - as desired;
• onions, carrots - 2 pcs.;
• poultry breast - 300 grams.

Component Processing

How is spelled processed? Recipes (porridge made from this cereal is very tasty) always require thorough washing of the product using a sieve. As soon as the water flowing from the spelled becomes clear, shake it vigorously and begin processing other ingredients.

Fresh champignons and chicken breast are thoroughly washed and then chopped into cubes. Fresh vegetables are also peeled and chopped in the same way.

Frying process

To make Armenian spelled porridge tasty, meat, mushrooms and vegetables should be pre-fried. To do this, place them in a multicooker bowl, add olive oil and turn on the baking mode. Stirring the ingredients periodically, fry them for fifteen minutes. After this, the products are salted to taste and filled with water.

Closing the multicooker with a lid, set the stewing program. In this mode, the ingredients are cooked for another 10 minutes. Next, the previously processed spelled is laid out on top of them. Without stirring the components, cover them again with a lid and continue to simmer for a whole hour. During this time, the cereal will absorb all the broth and swell well. As for the remaining ingredients, they will be completely cooked.

After the multicooker signals the end of the program, add a small amount of butter to the porridge. Next, mix it thoroughly so that the chicken breasts are evenly distributed throughout the spelled. After closing the lid of the kitchen device, the dish is kept heated for another five to seven minutes.

How to serve?

Like regular spelled porridge with water or milk, the Armenian dish should be served for lunch only hot. It is laid out on plates and placed immediately. If you wish, you can sprinkle this porridge with fresh chopped herbs.

Let's sum it up

There are many recipes based on grains such as spelled. In our country, porridge from this product is not prepared very often. Many housewives believe that in order to completely soften the cereal in question they will need a lot of free time. And indeed, spelled, unlike buckwheat or rice, takes quite a long time to cook. To significantly shorten this process, many cooks recommend soaking the product in cold water in advance and keeping it in this way for about half a day. During this time, the spelled will absorb some of the liquid and become softer and looser.

What do we know about spelled? Philologists and bookworms will immediately remember the lines from Pushkin’s fairy tale about the cunning Balda about “boiled spelt.” Gourmets and experimenters admit that they have come across inconspicuous cereals with an ancient Russian name on store shelves with fashionable ones. And nutritionists will joyfully exclaim: “What are you doing, friends? This is the food pride of Russia - in Europe, spelled dishes are considered a real delicacy!”

And while fashionable import substitution praises buckwheat as the main national product, it’s time for us to take a closer look at spelled. If Alexander Sergeich himself wrote about it, the cereal is clearly not simple...

Spelled, Spelled or Einkorn?

Spelled has been called as many names as spelled, and emmer, and emmer... But all these intriguing names are simply late varieties of spelled wheat, which first grew in the Mediterranean almost 7-8 thousand years ago.

Spelled was mentioned in the Old Testament, in Homer's Odyssey, and in the works of the historian Herodotus. And after several centuries, spelled fields smoothly migrated to the territory of Rus', and since then spelled has forever remained a “Russian” grain for the whole world. Why, even in the USA they learned about spelled thanks to the fertile soil of the Yaroslavl province - from there the seeds of our native cereal were brought to America.

Spelled peak in Rus' came in the 18th century - in those days, cereals were fried, steamed, porridge was cooked, put in soups, and baked flatbreads. Our peasants especially liked the harsh and independent character of spelled - the grain did not accept any fertilizers or any processing. Only natural conditions! Collecting such wild grains was problematic; hard grains were difficult to grind into flour, but no pest would take spelt. But over time, when the price and availability of bread became more important than its usefulness, they practically stopped growing spelled.

Return of the King

Black caviar of cereals is the name given to spelled wheat for its unusual brown hue and extremely healthy composition. Spelled - what is it? The photos will show an ordinary-looking cereal, very similar to whole oats, only more elegant and a spectacular brick-red color.

In the modern world, they started talking about the half-forgotten spelt - no, they practically screamed! – a few years ago, when the fashion for everything natural quickly returned. Red wheat turned out to be almost ideal in this matter, because the main condition for its cultivation is exceptional naturalness. No GMOs for you, no fertilizers - on “dirty” soil, cereals will simply refuse to grow. No radiation and heavy metals - the hard wheat shell will not let them through, no pests - the black beetle and the harmful turtle (yes, yes, this happens!), insects will not gnaw through these grains.

Will this beautiful spelt pass the hypoallergenic test? Does it contain gluten or not? This is wheat, albeit red. But in comparison with ordinary soft wheat, there is practically no dangerous gluten in spelled, but there are much more useful plant proteins. Therefore, for both gluten allergies and intolerances, spelled porridge and spelled flour bread will be an excellent solution.

Health is a good gift

Each cereal is unique in its own way - any nutritionist will tell you about this, and scientific research will prove it, and the certificate on the package of porridge will notify you. Oatmeal, couscous, millet, quinoa, brown rice are all the basis of a healthy diet. But even against such a bright grain background, spelled is not lost - its beneficial properties only expand over the years.

• Spelled is a real record holder for the content of vitamin PP - nicotinic acid. It helps and prevents fatty plaques from clogging our blood vessels.
• Magnesium, potassium and phosphorus are the main mineral trinity of red wheat. Magnesium and phosphorus strengthen bones and nerves, potassium protects the heart and relieves swelling.
• Slow carbohydrates and vegetable proteins make spelled porridge one of the most nutritious, and this with a minimum calorie content of 127 kcal. Spelled salads and casseroles will instantly relieve you of hunger and allow you to do without unnecessary snacks.
• It is no coincidence that Pushkin's Balda begged his employer for boiled spelled as a main dish. Cereals improve immunity, help you think faster, and give you strength and endurance. Truly, health is a good gift, as the classic said in another work.
• Spelled is also a universal culinary product; its delicate nutty taste goes well with any ingredients. Do you want Mediterranean exoticism? Add Italian herbs and simmer the risotto. Preparing a vegetarian lunch? Casserole with or - as easy as shelling pears! And if you love your native cuisine, you can cook ancient Russian spelled porridge - with milk, butter and berries and fruits.

Spelled for weight loss

Tired of diet oatmeal? There is a great alternative - spelled! The benefits and harms of red wheat for weight loss have been discussed by healthy eating enthusiasts for a long time. And it has been unequivocally proven that spelled does not harm the figure.

The main weight-loss advantage of spelled wheat is its low calorie content. Cereals saturate the body with proteins and vitamins, make the intestines work, and even out metabolic processes. As a result, the kilograms evaporate slowly but surely.

One caveat - spelled cereal for weight loss must be cooked in a special way. Only on water, add less oil to the porridge, and better than vegetable oil. And as a bonus, just add nuts, dried fruits and apples and pears to your breakfast plate - in the morning your body will only thank you for it.

Cooking spelled correctly

We lied a little with the title - it’s almost impossible to cook spelled incorrectly. There are several basic recipes for spelled porridge, the main ones being the dietary version with water and the Old Russian version. And based on them, you can create your own signature recipes, adding all those delicacies that you are used to putting in oatmeal, baked goods, and even omelettes.

Porridge for weight loss

How to cook spelled depends entirely on the type of cereal you found in the store - regular or steamed.

First, wash the spelled – regardless of the variety. Pour it into boiling water (proportion 1:2), add salt and wait for the water to boil along with the red wheat. And then we cook it like regular porridge: steamed for 15-20 minutes, regular porridge for 35-40.

Old Russian porridge

We stock up on the necessary products - a glass of spelt, a glass of milk, yogurt and cold water. First, soak the spelled in yogurt and water. The proportions may be different - some recommend half a glass of water per glass of yogurt, others claim that you need 2 times more water. Our advice to you is to try both options and decide which porridge tastes better.

Soak the porridge for 5 hours, then rinse it to remove all traces of curdled milk, and cook it in a mixture of milk and water (proportions with cereal, as in the dietary recipe). Cooking time is 20-30 minutes, or until the milk and water are absorbed. Then add butter, salt and simmer under the lid (or you can wrap it in a towel) for about an hour.

Spelled recipes for lunch and dinner

If you have spelled lurking in your kitchen cabinet, you can look for recipes for more than just breakfast. Lunch, afternoon snack, light dinner - red wheat is good everywhere.

Corsican spelled soup

You will need: 1.5 liters of broth - chicken or vegetable, one glass each of spelt and small red beans, an onion, and 2-3 sprigs, 100 grams of hard cheese (for piquancy, can be replaced with goat cheese), salt, spices, 2 spoons.

1. To get hot French soup for lunch, we start culinary activities in the morning. Soak the beans for 6-8 hours, spelled for 4. The beans are boiled in two waters, so we prepare them in advance - fill them with cold water, and when it boils, cook for an hour over low heat. Then put it in a colander and let it rest for now.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, fry the onion until golden brown, add the garlic. After 30 seconds, pour in the broth; when it boils, add the spelled. After 15 minutes, throw in the beans and wait another half hour.
3. Meanwhile, put the kettle on, grate the cheese and chop the mint (set aside 8 leaves for decoration). When the soup is ready, add cheese and mint, add half a glass of boiling water - and you can pour it into plates. Each one contains 2 mint leaves for beauty.

Spelled salad with tomatoes

You will need: a glass of spelled (preferably steamed), a head of red onion, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 4 tomatoes, one cucumber, a handful (lettuce, etc.), salt and pepper and olive oil.

Pour vinegar over the chopped onions and leave to marinate. At this time, cook the spelled in water and let it cool. We cut vegetables and herbs, mix with onions, butter and spelled. Ready!

Imagine, in one of the bakeries in Wales, in Britain, whole grain spelled bread is sold 4 times more expensive than usual! And we were incredibly lucky - almost every large supermarket sells both flour and spelled at a reasonable price - how to cook, the imagination of the housewife and culinary forums will tell you. Not just buckwheat...

Experts continue to insist that cereals must be present in every person’s diet. Cereals such as oats, barley, buckwheat fill the body with useful elements and vitamins, and also improve the processes of the digestive and intestinal tract. And if the above-mentioned cereals are familiar to everyone since childhood, then not many people know about such a grain as spelt. True, everyone heard it in Pushkin’s famous fairy tale about Balda, in which the main character asks Pop to feed him spelled. And now we will try to find out: spelled - what kind of grain it is, what its value is and how to cook it.

Spelled - what kind of grain is it?

Spelled is a unique grain about which many research papers were written back in the first half of the 20th century. This type of cereal is called the “ancestor” of wheat, so it’s not for nothing that it is mentioned in children’s fairy tales and poems.

For a long time, spelt was classified as a completely different cereal, but this was a mistaken opinion. If you look into the “Cultural Flora of the USSR”, spelled is described there as the main species from which agronomists developed other types of wheat.

Spelled grains are similar in appearance to wheat, only they are larger, the shell is protected by hard scales, thanks to which such a plant is highly resistant to harsh weather conditions, weeds, drought and pests.

Most nutritionists have come to the conclusion that spelled is a plant that has been able to retain its properties in the form in which nature created it. Today, in the regions of Dagestan and Bashkiria, they are trying to revive this cereal, and on the shelves of Russian stores you can see spelt under the Kamut brand, which is brought from America. By the way, in Italy and India spelled was nicknamed “cereal black caviar”.

What is the main difference between spelled and wheat?

Spelled and wheat, what's the difference? But the difference is that in wheat all the value is concentrated in the bran, that is, in the shell of the seeds, but white flour does not represent any value for the human body. As for spelled, its beneficial substances are not only in the shell, but also in the ground cereal. Also, spelled grains are wrapped in a protective film, which protects against the penetration of pesticides and toxic elements, and also prevents the loss of nutrients. Therefore, spelled contains more vitamins than wheat.

Benefits and harms

As already mentioned, spelled brings more benefits to humans than wheat. It contains almost the entire “range” of B vitamins, which help preserve vision, improve memory and boost immunity. Spelled also contains magnesium, zinc, iron and calcium.

Not a single cereal can boast of having such an amount of protein, which spelled grains are rich in. At the same time, gluten protein contains 18 important amino acids that the human body needs. In addition, gluten does not disrupt the digestion process, so this cereal can be consumed even by those whose body does not tolerate protein.

Recently, the number of adults and especially children suffering from allergies has only been increasing. A common cause of the development of such diseases is gluten, which is part of many cereals, but spelled contains the smallest amount of this substance.

With regular consumption of spelled, a person experiences:

• the risk of developing inflammatory and infectious, as well as vascular and heart diseases is reduced;
• digestion and secretion of intestinal glands improves;
• metabolism is restored;
• the skeletal system is strengthened;
• blood cholesterol levels decrease;
• libido increases in men.

Spelled, like other cereals, has its contraindications, although the list here is small. As a rule, patients who react acutely to the constituent components of spelled or have complications in the intestines should avoid consuming spelled.

The role of cereals in dietetics

Nutritionists will assure you that spelled will help you cope with excess weight without much harm to the body. The thing is that spelled is well absorbed by the human body, and if it contains complex carbohydrates, it gives a feeling of fullness for a long time, so after eating spelled porridge for breakfast, you are unlikely to want to eat anything else high in calories.

It is also worth emphasizing that this cereal contains a large number of B vitamins, which prevent fat deposition, which is an important point when losing weight. At the same time, spelled improves peristalsis, which also helps fight obesity.

Simple recipes

Today, a variety of dishes are prepared from spelled. It is used to cook soups, prepare porridges, pasta, serve as a side dish or use it as a breading. So, let's tell you how to cook spelled.

Spelled porridge

For breakfast, you can cook delicious and nutritious spelled porridge; it can be salty or sweet, with water or milk.

Ingredients:

• 425 g spelled;
• 1 liter of water;
• oil (drain);
• salt or granulated sugar to taste.

Preparation:

1. Spelled, like rice grains, must be washed several times, that is, until the water is clear.
2. Pour water into the saucepan and let the liquid boil, then add the cereal and cook for half an hour, stirring the contents of the saucepan periodically.
3. At the end, add sweetener (salt) and malitsa to taste, mix and you can serve the healthy dish on the table.

For garnish in a slow cooker

You can also quickly and easily cook salty or sweet porridge in a slow cooker, but it’s better to try cooking spelled with mushrooms as a side dish. Porcini mushrooms are best suited for the recipe; if there are none, then other types will do.

Ingredients:

• 185 g spelled;
• bulb;
• 155 g porcini mushrooms;
• 55 ml red wine;
• 315 ml chicken broth;
• 55 g parmesan;
• 85 g butter (drained);
• 45 ml olive oil;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. First of all, we sort out the spelled from excess debris and soak it in water, leaving it overnight.
2. Then rinse several times until the water becomes clear.
3. Cut the mushrooms into small cubes and fry them in olive oil in a slow cooker in the “Fry” mode until golden.
4. Then add the diced onion to the mushrooms and fry the ingredients for another 5-7 minutes.
5. Then add the spelt, pour in the wine, and continue cooking in the same mode until the alcoholic drink has all evaporated.
6. Now pour in the chicken broth, add salt, switch to the “Rice Porridge” (“Grains”) option and cook for half an hour.
7. Add creamy malitz to the finished dish and add grated parmesan.

Spelled pasta

Spelled pasta should be cooked in the same way as plain wheat. But it’s still worth checking the label, as different manufacturers may indicate different cooking times. You can simply boil the pasta, add butter and sprinkle with herbs, or you can prepare a more satisfying dish.

Ingredients:

• 425 g spelled pasta;
• 100 g bell pepper;
• one onion and one carrot each;
• 25 g tomato puree;
• onion greens.

Preparation:

1. According to the instructions, boil the spelled pasta and you can move on to the sauce.
2. In a frying pan with heated oil, fry the champignons cut into thin slices for 10 minutes.
3. Then add the rest of the chopped vegetables and simmer until all the ingredients are ready.
4. Then add tomato puree, pour in half a glass of water and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Place the spelled pasta on a plate, pour over the sauce and sprinkle with onion rings.

In Pushkin’s fairy tale, the worker Balda set a condition for the priest: to feed him boiled spelled. This semi-wild wheat, the “ancestor” of modern soft varieties, is also called spelled and contains a lot of protein and essential amino acids. No wonder spelled porridge was loved in Rus'. Modern nutritionists talk about the benefits of spelled, especially for children and patients with diabetes. Let's prepare a delicious and satisfying porridge from spelled.

Useful properties of spelled
What else is spelled useful for, besides the properties described above?

• Spelled accelerates metabolic processes, due to which toxins are effectively removed from the body. Blood sugar and cholesterol levels are reduced. Fats also do not accumulate, which promotes weight loss.
  
• Spelled contains almost no gluten, and therefore no substance called gluten, which is present in most cereals and often causes allergic reactions.
  
• Spelled contains large quantities of special carbohydrate-protein complexes - mucopolysaccharides, which help strengthen the immune system.
  
• Spelled tones the heart and blood vessels, has a beneficial effect on the endocrine system and digestion.
  

Porridge made from spelled is a storehouse of very useful substances, and it is definitely worth trying, especially if you are interested in healthy eating.

Traditional spelled porridge
It is not difficult to prepare spelled in Old Russian style, although the process takes quite a lot of time. First, one part of the spelled was washed well in cold water and poured with one part of boiling water, after which salt was added. Cooked with constant stirring (so that the porridge did not burn) until the liquid boiled away. Then the porridge was placed in a clay pot, boiling milk and butter were added to it, the pot was covered with a lid and placed in a frying pan with hot water. The porridge simmered in the oven in a water bath for about two hours. And finally, the dish with a pleasant nutty aroma was served with butter and milk.

By the way, a similar dish called zanduri is still in use in Georgia. In Armenia, a special pilaf made from this cereal with mushrooms is served at the festive table. In India and Turkey, spelled is a side dish for fish and meat. In Italy, spelled is also used to prepare a porridge-like dish - risotto.

Homemade porridge
First, prepare the mixture for soaking the grains. To do this, you will need to combine half a glass of yogurt and a glass of water, preferably cold. Add 1 cup of grains to this mixture. After 5 hours, rinse the grains thoroughly. In a saucepan, mix half a glass of milk and half a glass of water, add spelled grains and cook over low heat until the liquid disappears.

Place a piece of butter into the porridge, add salt to taste, and you can add sugar. But don’t rush to serve the porridge - keep it covered for an hour.

Friable spelled porridge with mushrooms
Cut one onion into half rings, chop 700 g of champignons, fry them in vegetable oil in a saucepan with a thick bottom. Rinse 250 g of spelled several times in cold water, place in a saucepan and pour in 500 ml of boiling water (the correct proportion is when there is twice as much water as the cereal).

As soon as the water boils, add salt and black pepper, mix well and cook, covered, over low heat until the water has completely evaporated. This takes about 40 minutes, after which the spelled remains crumbly, but not too hard. And champignons give it a very original taste.

Spelled muesli
Despite the fact that spelled is wheat, there is a recipe for those who are watching their figure. Spelled is used to make dietary muesli porridge, which can be eaten cold by adding nuts and fruits.

You will need 50 g of spelled grains, the same amount of walnuts, a glass of milk and kefir, a couple of tangerines, honey, as well as salt and sugar. Heat the milk, add spelt with salt and sugar to the milk, cook for 5 minutes. Pour in kefir, add honey, stir and leave for 5 minutes. When the grains swell, add tangerine slices and nuts. You have received a healthy treat for a slim figure.

Now you know different ways of preparing spelled porridge, which was one of the favorite dishes of our ancestors. And they were not wrong. Spelled is an amazing cereal that gives strength and health and can take its rightful place on your table.