While exploring breads in the organic stores & markets during our days in Northern Europe, I got exposed to "Farro Wheat".
Farro is an Italian term and has now become the byword for healthy wheat in the West.
People refer to Farro as a single grain. In India, many believe only Emmer wheat is Farro, which is not entirely true.
There are three Farro wheat varieties namely Einkorn, Emmer (aka Khapli) and Spelt.
- Einkorn (Farro Piccolo in Italian) is the rarest and most ancient of the three, with high protein and low gluten, and small golden grains.
- Emmer or Khapli (Farro Medio) is the most commonly grown Farro grain in Italy. Medium sized, chewy & brown grains with high protein & lower gluten. The parent to the modern bread wheat.
- Spelt (Farro Grande) is a bread wheat and is a large grain variety.
Farro is an ethno-botanical term for these three species of what are called "Hulled" wheats.
Hulled wheats are varieties that are not only threshed to separate them from the plant, but also hulled or de-husked to remove the inedible husk from the edible part (whole grain). Hulled grains can resist pests and diseases but are harder to process at the farms or mills.
We ate our first Emmer sourdough bread which Ramesh claimed was really hard. Then, we bought Spelt bread and cookies too. I don't recollect whether we got anything made with Einkorn, this was more than 13 years back, while living in The Netherlands.
Conversations with the bakers & farmers taught me more about these ancient wheats. The revival of wheats had begun. And over the past several years, I have explored the nutritive properties and taste profiles of these Hulled Farro Wheat varieties.
In India, only Emmer (aka Khapli) is grown, neither Spelt or Einkorn grow here. The main reason why Farro Wheat is considered healthier is due to its inherent properties, such as low gluten, high-fibre and easy digestibility.
The modern varieties of Wheats were developed for ease of processing, but in the process, these new varieties have become more complex to digest.
So if you are looking for healthier and more digestible wheats, try Emmer (Khapli) Wheat, if you have not already, and see if it makes a difference.
Devi, Co-Founder, Bio Basics
