GRAINS & PASTA

Common Grains:

Rice - Short-grain rice has a high starch content, which makes it a little sticky when cooked; Medium-grain rice remains firm and light when cooked, but tends to get sticky when cooled; Long-grain rice remains separate when cooked, but must not be overworked during the cooking process. Popular rice varieties are: Converted rice, which is par-boiled by the manufacturer so it cooks more quickly; Jasmine rice, which is very fragrant and perfumed; Basmati rice, a staple of Indian cuisine; Sushi rice, which is sticky rice for sushi rolls and sashimi in Japanese cuisine; Arborio rice, a short-grain rice used in Italian risotto; and Brown rice, which is the entire rice grain with the bran still attached—it is more chewy and higher in fiber than white rice.

Wild rice is not really rice—it is wild grass that mostly grows in Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin.

Amaranth is a broadleaf plant, a tall crop with brilliantly colored grain heads producing thousands of tiny seeds; it was a major food of the Aztecs and earlier American cultures. It has high protein and fiber levels; the seeds have some desirable functional characteristics, having been processed in popped, flaked, extruded, and ground-flour forms. Since the food uses are similar to such cereal grain grasses as wheat and oats, amaranth is sometimes called a pseudo-cereal.

Barley is an ancient grain that is an important staple in the food and spirit industries, and it is used to make malt; barley grains are oval and milky white in color, and have a chewy and neutral flavor.

Buckwheat is not a cereal grain and, despite the name, it is not related to wheat or grasses. It is a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel, which makes it a suitable substitute for grains for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens. Buckwheat flowers are very fragrant and are attractive to bees that use them to produce a special, strongly flavored, dark honey.

Bulgur or bulgur wheat is wheat berries that have been steamed whole, then dried and cracked; it is essentially a precooked grain that is ready instantly and is commonly associated with Tabbouleh.

Couscous is a granular semolina grain, which is obtained by milling hard durum wheat; the two types of couscous are Moroccan and Israeli; it is commonly classified as a grain, though technically they are in the pasta family.

Grits are coarse ground corn that come in white and yellow varieties; they are popular as breakfast food in the southern parts of the U.S.

Hominy, or nixtamal, is dried maize kernels which have been treated with an alkali in a process call nixtamalization. The term is derives from the Powhatan language word for maize.

Kasha is roasted cracked or whole buckwheat.

Masa harina is a form of corn flour made from dried hominy that has been finely ground; commonly used to make corn tortillas.

Millet is a round grain also known as bird seed.

Oats are cereal grains that come in many different form—cut, rolled, quick-cooking, instant, bran, flour, and milk.

Polenta is corn porridge from Northern Italy; they could be either of firm or soft consistency

Quinoa has low gluten content; it is slightly crunchy and slightly transparent when cooked.

Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide.

Wheat germ – slightly flakey grains commonly used as a cereal.