Buckwheat porridge, also known as cream of buckwheat, is a truly wonderful dish and can be seen as a core addition to a staple grain regimen.
Buckwheat is not at all related to wheat. It is in a completely different family of plants, related to sorrel, a spinach-like tangy leafy veggie with sometimes huge leaves. It actually grows wild in many places including around where I live.
Buckwheat’s ancient ancestors probably came from Yunnan province, China, which has been rated Center of Plant Diversity and a Global Biodiversity Hotspot.
It spread in ancient times in many directions and was already present in Europe in the middle neolithic period.
Buchwheat is famous for being a main constituent of Japanese soba noodles. In fact I no longer eat regular pasta as part of my diet which skips wheat products – the only pasta-type dish I eat is buckwheat soba.
There are a couple things I have discovered about making buckwheat porridge. It differs from making rice porridge or quick oats in that it is possible to overcook it. Also, unlike other porridges it requires less water. I fill the water to just a little more than above the level of the grain. I then cook it long enough for the water to get to the max temp in the rice cooker and then turn off the cooker not much longer afterwards. If I let it cook until the cooker shuts off automatically it is already too long as the grain can become overly mushy.
This type of meal, along with things like Agua de Chia which I mentioned in another post, is a key component of my vegan diet, which really does work. I’ve already written about the diet, which is aimed at eliminating almost all refined foods and sweeteners and training one’s body to love whole grains, fruits, veggies, and some nuts and seeds.
Cream of buckwheat can be seen as a great breakfast food (although nothing can replace my absolute favorite which is amaranth) or as a relief food when the body is craving a little more. The goal of my diet is to cultivate discipline and to train the body/mind to a high level, but not to get into over-deprivation (a little bit of deprivation – cultivating the Agni fire energy within – is almost like a nutrient one should learn to love).
Also, its important to be aware that some people, such as myself, burn a lot of energy just on mental processing alone. If I don’t take in enough nutrients I can just become depeleted and listless. So its important to have foods like this to turn to for extra energy sometimes.
References:
List of refined processed carbohydrates (to avoid)
Make amazing vegan pudding – by hand
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