L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019 The thousand secrets of farro S pelt, known to the an- cient Romans as far, used to be their most common and best lo- ved cereal up to the first republican period (509-264 BC). After, wheat took its place because of its better yield and lower labor costs. Known since the Neolithic, it is the most ancient type of grain cultivated and used as food by Man. It is mentioned in the Bible, in the Book of Ezekiel, and some has been found in Egyptian tombs. The sacred value of spelt was celebrated by the Romans through numerous religious celebrations. Among them, the Fornacalia, held in February, whose name comes from that of the goddess Fornax, "furnace," and the Carnalia, held in June to honor the goddess Carna. The importance of spelt is also shown by the existence of a specific type of matrimony, the confarreatio, which was the only one to meet specific religious re- quirements: for instance, only men whose parents wedded with con- farreatio could enter religious life. However, spelt is especially known for having been the heart of Roman legions' nutrition. Spelt flour was used to prepare libum (a type of focaccia), bread and plus (similar to modern polenta). Spelt grains were roasted to remove the chaff, then milled. The powder ob- tained was called farrina, a term that was to become synonym with every type of milled cereal: la fa- rina. From a scientific point of view, the word farro stands for th- ree different types of triticum growing in the area between the Mediterranean and the Caucasus: the triticum monococcum, the most ancient type; the triticum di- coccum, the most common be- cause of its high yield and ease of growth; the triticum spelta. In En- glish, the term spelt usually indi- cates both the dicoccum and spelta varieties. Spelt can reach 130 cm in hei- ght and has a large ear containing oval shaped grains. It grows without difficulties on soils poor of nutrition, between 200 and 1000 metres of altitude. Sowing season is usually in the Fall and it is harvested in the Summer, with the same type of machines used for wheat. In spite of having less gluten than common wheat, spelt contains it and thus it's not suita- ble for coeliacs. Spelt is not only one of the least caloric types of wheat - even if it is composed by 67% carbs, 100 grams yield only about 340 calories - but it also contains a hi- gher percentage of B vitamins (15%), proteins (15%), water (10%) and methionine when com- pared to all other varieties. The carbs contained in spelt have a particular property that sup- ports blood coagulation and they also stimulate the immune system. Thanks to its high protein and fi- bre content, spelt makes you feel full immediately after eating it and, for this reason, it's conside- red a good food for people trying to lose weight. It has a lower gly- cemic index when compared to common wheat, and can help re- gulate glucose production in our body. Spelt can be boiled, or used as flour to prepare bread, cakes and fresh pasta. Shops usually propose two varieties of spelt: hulled spelt and pearl spelt. If you buy hulled spelt, it needs to be washed to get rid of all impurities, then soaked in fresh water between 4 and 12 hours before boiling it for 30 to 60 minutes. As the procedure is rather time consuming, people usually prefer pearl spelt, which only needs to be cooked for about 20-30 minutes. Spelt can be used also outside the kitchen: for instance, spelt chaff is used to make therapeutic pillows and cushions with painkil- ling properties. Spelt Salad Spelt salads can be either an antipasto or a main dish. Ingredients for 4 people: • 125 grams of pearl spelt • Extra virgin olive oil • salt Instructions Spelt can be boiled, or used as flour to prepare bread, cakes and fresh pasta © Rohit Seth | Dreamstime.com Spelt was known by the Romans, but was also mentioned in the Bible and used by the Egyptians © Mark Skalny | Dreamstime.com LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES VARINIA CAPPELLETTI Continued to page 32

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