Pearl barley

What is pearl barley? About the ingredient pearl barley. Including 233 recipes with pearl barley, nutrition data, photos, and where to find it.

About

Barley is a hardy cereal grass is related to wheat, which it resembles.

lt comes in a number of varieties and seldom grows higher than three feet.

Barley grows in a larger range of climates than other cereals. It has a short growing season, and therefore can be grown at high altitudes and up to the shores of the Arctic seas.

lt is an important crop in temperate and subtropical climates.

Barley is one of the oldest of food plants. The Dwellers of Switzerland, about 3,000 years ago, knew at least three kinds. The Bible mentions barley as one the foods that was destroyed by the plagues of (Exodus 9:31).

The ancient Greeks and Romans grew barley, and it was extensively grown later in England America, barley was sown on Martha’s Vineyard early in the 17th century. Barley is high in nutritive values. Until the 16th century it was the main ingredient of bread, though its in gluten makes it poor bread flour.

ln prosperous times it was supplanted by wheat which is more and better suited for baking since bread made from flour is much lighter than barley bread. However, has an excellent, nutty flavor and is extremely satisfying as a filler or as a side dish with meats, instead of potatoes.

Some cultures favor the use of barley: Scandinavians, and Turks, for example. Barley is an essential ingredient in the brewing of beer and in the distillation of Scotch whisky.

Barley water, a drink that is both refreshing and mild, was once a standard beverage in British households, especially in Victorian times.

Availability

Generally available in markets throughout the world.

Purchasing Guide

For consumers you usually find with bran removed and polished as pearl barley in fine, medium, and coarse sizes.

Scotch barley is husked grain roughly ground. It is not readily available but can be found in
health-food and specialty stores but is appearing in more mainstream markets.

Barley is also available as a baby cereal.

Storage

Kitchen shelf, in a cool, dry spot: indefinitely

Refrigerator shelf, cooked, covered: 2 to 4 days

Basic Preparation

Cook pearl barley in water to cover, from 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Old-fashioned Scotch barley must be soaked for 12 hours before cooking.

In Chinese:	薏米
British (UK) term:	Pearl barley
en français:	orge perlée
en español:	la cebada perlada

Recipes using pearl barley

There are 219 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 219 recipes

Created: September 12, 1999 Last updated: over 4 years ago