As some of you may have noticed, we feature buckwheat in our granola.  Why?  For one reason, it’s gluten-free—making it a great choice for people with celiac and others who have difficulty with gluten.  But what’s more, it has a unique and delicious taste of its own that has been described as part wild greens, part green tea, and part dark earth, with a toasty nuttiness in the back palate.  Now that’s what we call a gourmet cereal!

Despite having a name that sounds, well, an awful lot like wheat, buckwheat doesn’t have much in common with it.  The name ‘buckwheat’ or ‘beech wheat’ comes from its triangular seeds, which look like the much larger seeds of the beech tree, and the fact that it is used like wheat. It’s neither a grass nor a grain. Instead, the part we eat is  the fruit of a shrub related to rhubarb and sorrel.  It has made its way into the diets of some of the major cultures on earth, from Romania to Brittany to Japan, since at least 4000 BCE. 

Buckwheat is a terrifically healthy food. It’s an excellent plant source of easily digestive protein and contains all eight essential amino acids. Buckwheat is also high in fiber (a big bonus for celiacs), B vitamins and, according to a USDA study, keeps glucose levels in check better than other carbohydrates — which is great news for celiacs who also have diabetes.

In traditional farming, buckwheat has held the important role of a rotational crop—planting buckwheat in the spring enriched the nutrients in the soil, preparing it to grow summer corn or fall wheat. The shrub grows quickly, creating a ground canopy that chokes out weeds. Today buckwheat is making a comeback on the land and on the public’s palate, as more farmers switch from chemical fertilizers back to natural methods of enriching the land.   We at Mojamix say, “Three cheers for buckwheat!”   Because we’re big fans of doing it Mother Earth-style.