John Myers
Grain products enrich our menu from morning to evening – bread, muesli, sweet baked goods, and pasta offer variety for almost every taste. We introduce 13 different grains and the increasingly popular pseudo-cereals, explain their characteristics in terms of appearance and taste, and explain how you can use the grains in your kitchen.
Grain
The long stalks with grains at the end belong to the grass family. Different types of grain have been cultivated in Europe for around 3000 years, with wheat playing the leading role. Cereals are eaten every day around the world, and the various types of grain, including rice and corn, staple foods. Although the different types of grain differ significantly in terms of taste and possible uses, they all have the same structure: the grain always consists of a germ, endosperm, and husk. This means that flour can be made from all types of grain if the carbohydrate-rich endosperm, which also contains proteins, vitamins, and minerals, is ground. If you use whole grain products, you eat healthier – because they also contain the valuable ingredients from the sprouts and peels.
Identify grain types
If you would like to get to know the characteristics of the different types of grain, you can easily find out more about them in our list. We present the 7 types of grain wheat, rye, barley, oats, maize, millet, and rice, but also devote separate sections to the 6 subgenera einkorn, emmer, Kamut, spelled, unripe spelled and triticale – 13 types of grain, in other words, with which you can add variety to your can bring kitchen.
Spelled
may we introduce Although – you probably already know spelled? Nevertheless, a few facts about one of the most popular types of grain in this country. It can’t hurt to know a little more.
- The archetype of modern wheat with a nutty aroma
- also visually very similar to wheat, with longer and narrower spikes than wheat
- the high density of minerals and vitamins
- Less exposure to pollutants due to harder husk cover
Nice to know:
You can use spelled in almost all recipes as a 1:1 substitute for conventional wheat. Bread, cakes, sweet pastries, savory quiches – spelled has excellent baking properties and is available in various degrees of grinding from type 630 to wholemeal flour.
Einkorn
Surely you have already seen bread baked with einkorn at the bakery. But you are wondering where the grain got its name from? It comes from the fact that the grain stalks only have one grain per spikelet.
- comes from wild wheat and is one of the oldest types of grain, the “grandfather” of wheat and spelled.
- Significantly higher growth is with conventional wheat, but much thinner stalks
- referred to as ancient grain
- has been experiencing a real boom for several years, not only in the industry but above all among hobby bakers
- taste nutty and very aromatic
Emmer
You can not only bake delicious bread with Emmer, but also all kinds of sweet waffles or pancakes. If you want to do without pasta made from conventional wheat, you should definitely try the Emmer variant.
- subgenus of wheat
- also named Zweikorn
- belongs to the very undemanding types of grain
- long awns and a dark color
- was cultivated many thousands of years ago – so it is one of the ancient grains, just like einkorn
- almost completely replaced by spelled and wheat in the Middle Ages
- increased cultivation again today
- nutty taste
Tip: If you value organically grown grain, you are spot on with emmer, because it is ideally suited for organic cultivation. The reason is the solid shell around the grains, which protects them from pests without having to use pesticides.
Barley
Have you ever eaten barley soup? Then you know barley because pearl barley is peeled and polished barley grains.
- belongs to the old types of grain
- grows up to 1.2 m high
- Spikes with long awns, pendulous when ripe
- was used for baking bread until the late Middle Ages
- Grains with a very mild taste
- Used for brewing beer and whiskey making
Tip: You can prepare barley not only as a soup ingredient but also as a side dish similar to rice, such as barley risotto or barley salad.
Green spelled
Would you like to try green spelled? Prepare a delicious “risotto” from it or use the soaked grains as a basis for hearty, aromatic patties.
- belongs to the types of grain that are harvested immature (spelled grains that do not remain on the ear until they are fully ripe)
- Grains are still juicy and moist after harvest
- must be dried in special ovens heated with beech or oak wood
- very own aroma created by the drying process
- one of the types of grain that clearly distinguishes itself from all the others in terms of taste:
- slightly smoky taste
- cannot be used for baking
Oats
If you want to bake with oat flour, you have to mix it with gluten-containing grains. Enjoy oatmeal as a quick breakfast cereal with fruit and milk or in a warm porridge. Oats are one of the types of grain that are also used in hearty cuisine, for example as a basis for casseroles with vegetables or patties.
- clearly distinguishable from other types of grain in the field
- does not grow on ears of corn, but on panicles
- Type of grain with a nutty aroma
- mostly used in the form of the popular oatmeal
- Only suitable for baking to a limited extent, as it contains no gluten (gluten-free!)
Millet
Especially in many African countries, small grains are an integral part of the daily diet and are an important staple food for millions of people.
- gluten-free cereals
- Plant visually resembles corn
- has panicles with yellow, round grains
- is one of the very mild-tasting cereals
- very high nutrient content
- versatile in the kitchen
Millet is one of those grains you haven’t tried yet? Then it’s about time. The nutrient-rich grains not only taste good in a bowl with lots of vegetables. Patties for a delicious burger or a sweet millet porridge can also be made from it. Millet is also one of the types of grain that can be used as an alternative to wheat to make bulgur and couscous – great if you can’t tolerate gluten.
Kamut
You can use Kamut like wheat. Whether as flour for baking, as flakes for your muesli, or for making pasta – Kamut is extremely versatile, but unfortunately still often underestimated.
- subgenus of wheat
- is also known as Khorasan wheat
- has awns similar to those of einkorn and emmer and is derived from durum wheat
- quite large grains with very high protein content and lots of unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients
- nutty and at the same time hearty taste
Corn
Admit it – the first thing that comes to mind when you think of corn is that it’s a grain. It does, and corn is actually one of the staple grains for many people
- tall growth – the plants can grow up to 3 meters high
- elongated cobs with the firmly attached round grains
- the yellow variety is classic, colorful varieties are also available
- gluten-free
- can be ground into flour
- particularly popular as semolina, for example for polenta
- tastes slightly sweet
Other than popcorn and grilled corn on the cob, you have no idea what to do with corn. In addition to polenta with a large load of butter and parmesan, we strongly recommend that you try boiled corn kernels in salads and colorful vegetable stir-fries.
Rice
Rice is a grain that is one of the staple foods and is eaten every day, especially in Asia. There are thousands of different varieties in all colors and shapes.
- gluten-free
- Cultivation in water on rice terraces
- numerous small panicles with up to 3000 grains of rice per plant
- mainly eaten in cooked form
- great taste differences per variety
Depending on which type of rice you choose, you will encounter very different taste nuances. Mild short-grain rice is not only tasty as rice pudding for dessert, fragrant jasmine rice goes well with Asian dishes. Have you ever drunk rice wine or cooked with rice vinegar? Both are made from this type of grain.
Rye
Maybe you know Pumpernickel? This is a typical specialty made from rye. The grains are among the types of grain with a high fiber and mineral content. In addition to baking bread, they are also suitable for other hearty doughs or as flakes in muesli.
- is one of the best-known types of grain in Germany, along with wheat
- awns and grains of medium length, the color of which tends towards greyish
- available in different degrees of grinding as flour
- very strong taste
- particularly suitable for baking sourdough bread.
Triticale
Since its baking properties leave much to be desired, triticale is rarely used for human consumption. If at all, beer is mostly used from it. This grain is mainly used as animal feed and to generate energy in biogas plants.
- still little known hybrid of wheat and rye
- The name is made up of the botanical names – triticum and secale – of the two types of grain
- taste is also a cross between wheat and rye
- Round spikes and 3-5 cm square awns
- resembles more wheat or rye depending on the variety
Wheat
We already learn what wheat looks like in elementary school – after all, it is one of the most important types of grain in our diet. The grain, which is cultivated on a large scale, has a growth height of up to 1 meter, and the broad spikes have no awns, which distinguishes them from most other types of grain. After harvesting, the individual grains easily separate from the husks because the two are not fused together.
- Differences between spring wheat and winter wheat (depending on the time of sowing) and between durum wheat and soft wheat
- one of the grains with a mild taste
- absolutely versatile to use both in the food industry and in your own kitchen
- Soft wheat is mainly for flour or semolina for sweet and savory baking
- Durum wheat for making homemade or fresh pasta from the refrigerated section, also for couscous and bulgur
- Used in brewing beer and making whiskey
Even if wheat is increasingly being criticized as part of the diet – don’t worry, consuming it in moderation, especially whole grain products, cannot cause any harm.
Attention: If you do not tolerate gluten, you should avoid cereals such as wheat with all its subspecies as well as rye and barley!
Pseudo grain
If you are not yet familiar with pseudocereals: This term summarizes – all gluten-free – alternatives to conventional cereals that botanically do not belong to the sweet grasses, but can be used in a similar way to these cereals. You can buy pseudocereals and products made from them, especially in health food stores or organic shops, and increasingly also in supermarkets and discounters. The most important representatives of this genus are buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth. We explain the most important facts about these cereal alternatives!
Amaranth
- belongs to the foxtail family
- has more valuable ingredients than “real” types of grain
- tastes cooked as a side dish or puffed in muesli
- Amaranth grains are visually reminiscent of millet
- strong in taste and with a typical nut aroma
Buckwheat
- belongs to the knotweed family
- grows up to 60 cm high with small triangular nuts
- visually resembles beechnuts
- fits as an ingredient in a hearty stew
- can also be used for baking
- the taste is nutty with a tendency toward tartness
Tip for baking: Regardless of whether the dough is sweet or savory, you should always mix buckwheat with gluten-containing flour or gluten-free starch, as buckwheat alone is not really suitable for baking.
Quinoa
- nut-like fruits developing from false spikes
- Like amaranth, it belongs to the foxtail family
- good source of vegetable protein
- very versatile to use in the kitchen
Our tip: Quinoa, which is pronounced “kinwa” by the way, is a healthy and nutritious basis for salads and stir-fries. Just try out which combination with the nutty-tasting pseudo-grain you like best.
