-By James Mellgren

Grains have had a tough time in the American diet. Although they have pretty much always been a staple of our national table, we haven’t always treated them very well. We started off well enough, growing amber waves of whole grains that were used for bread and beer predominantly, along with plenty of pies and cakes. Eventually, however, science took over. We began to refine our grains practically to death, only to have to add back in the nutrients that had been stripped away. Other grains, especially corn, oats and wheat, were hybridized into mediocrity and genetically modified, the long-term effects of which we have yet to see. If all that weren’t enough damage, the low-carbohydrate diet craze in the 1990s sent sales of bread and pasta plummeting. Fortunately, grains, especially whole grains, are looked at today in a whole new light. Grains are big business, too, and according to IDDBA’s “What’s in Store 2009,” in-store bakery sales topped $10.5 billion in 2008. There is a large array of grains from which to choose today, and they are not just for baking. Healthy cooks are finding ways to use whole grains in salads and side dishes, soups and stews, as a stuffing for poultry, pork and fish, deep-fried dishes, and many more uses. Movements like the Mediterranean Diet, in which grains figure so prominently, and the efforts of the Whole Grains Council are lifting grains to heights normally reserved for the center of the plate. We’ll take a look at these marvelous grains that put the cereal in cereal and see why grains aren’t just for breakfast anymore.

Whole Grains With a Mission
No one has done more to promote the use of whole grains in the American diet than the Whole Grains Council, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group that works with manufacturers, consumers and the media to encourage the use of whole grains and to help people understand them better. Its Whole Grain Stamp is perhaps the most important nutritional guideline to appear on food packages since the advent of nutritional labeling, helping millions of consumers make healthier choices about what they eat from the grocery store and in restaurants.

Cynthia Harriman, director of food and nutrition strategies for Oldways/The Whole Grains Council, was quoted in “What’s in Store 2009” as saying that the so-called ancient grains (sorghum, teff, millet, amaranth, spelt, buckwheat and quinoa) “are totally hot.” She says the use of these grains is increasing as a result of consumer interest in increasing fiber consumption, use of native foods and finding alternatives to wheat. In a conversation with Packaged Facts, Harriman said she expected increased use of these grains, especially in the form of multi-grain blends, as they are marketed to bakery research and development teams. True successful integration, she said, will come when consumers learn how to cook and use these ancient grains. IDDBA also points out that, according to Modern Baking, “use of alternative grains in products lends a more exotic air, and consumers may not have preconceived notions as to the taste of the other grains.”

The Whole Grains Council (WGC) began when a group of millers, manufacturers, scientists and chefs gathered at a Whole Grains Summit, one of the brilliant conferences organized by Oldways Preservation Trust. The first formal meeting of the WGC didn’t happen until a year later, but since that time, it has brought the whole grain debate to national prominence, and it has created a fabulous Web site that speaks to both consumers and press (www.wholegrainscouncil.org). In the process, the WGC has codified the nomenclature of whole grains, and has tirelessly waged a campaign across a broad palette of national publications to educate consumers about the importance of including whole grains in everyone’s diet. One of its most important and impressive accomplishments has been the design and implementation of the Whole Grains Stamp, a symbol that helps shoppers identify products that are made from whole grains in order for them to get the recommended three servings of whole grains per day. So far (as of November 2009), it has grown from the original nine members to over 200, and the stamp is on over 3,100 different products in 15 countries (the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Ireland, Poland and New Zealand). The products upon which the stamp appears include breads, cereals, snacks (savory and sweet), baking mixes, pasta, flour, waffles and pancakes, granola and breakfast bars, and a variety of side dishes.

Glorious Grains
Here is how the Whole Grains Council defines whole grains: “Whole grains or foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. If the grain has been processed (e.g., cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded and/or cooked), the food product should deliver approximately the same rich balance of nutrients that are found in the original grain seed.”

With that in mind, we’ll take a look at a few of the more interesting grains available throughout the country. I’ll leave aside corn and wheat because there are so many issues and varieties that they could constitute their own feature article.

Amaranth is a native American plant that is now cultivated all over the world and one for which there are many varieties and uses, including greens, grains and ornament. It was first introduced to Europeans when the Spanish entered what is now Mexico in the early 16th century. Amaranth grain was a staple food for the Aztecs, figuring prominently in both cuisine and ritual. The conquerors promptly burned the amaranth fields and banned the growing of the grain — no doubt to better control the native people — and the result is that amaranth almost disappeared from the face of the planet. Fortunately, it continued to grow wild as a weed and research began on it in the United States in the 1970s. Amaranth is a delicious and highly nutritious grain, unusually high in proteins for a grain, especially lysine, and also high in fiber. Amaranth can be eaten in its whole form, cooked like a hot cereal, and it can also be popped, flaked and ground into flour for baking. In Mexico, according to the Jefferson Institute, it is popped and mixed with honey or molasses to make a kind of snack bar or cake, and is used as a condiment on other foods. The specialty food world has seen the rise in amaranth cereals and other products, typically using amaranth flour mixed with other flours such as wheat. Amaranth by itself is gluten-free.

Barley may surpass even rice as the world’s oldest cultivated grain, at least in Asia and Europe, and has been cultivated for thousands of years. For centuries, it was one of the most important grains throughout the Near East and Europe, valued as much for its role in beer-making as for food. According to “What’s in Store 2009,” barley is packed with fiber throughout the grain, so even refined barley has healthful properties. Most consumers are familiar with barley in classic soups such as Scotch Broth or combined with mushrooms and/or beef, although barley’s most significant role continues to be as a major component of beer, the specific roasting of which can lead to countless styles of America’s favorite alcoholic beverage.

Buckwheat is not really wheat at all but is related to rhubarb and sorrel, and has been cultivated in Asia since at least the fifth century. Perhaps the two most familiar uses of buckwheat are in the form of Russian kasha and blinis, and in Japanese soba noodles, soba being the Japanese word for buckwheat. But it is also delicious in all sorts of baked goods, pancakes, porridges and so on.

Millet was one of the five sacred grains in ancient China and has been cultivated there and in the Near East for thousands of years. In cultures throughout Asia, Africa and even Europe, there are as many dishes calling for millet as there are types of millet. I can say without hesitation that my favorite ways to consumer this delicious grain is as hot cereal and in muffins, and specifically the millet muffins made by Café Fanny, Alice Waters’ stand-up breakfast spot in Berkeley. Next time you’re in the Bay Area, try one.

Oats. “No matter how old you are,” insists author Dana Jacobi in her book, “12 Best Foods Cookbook” (Rodale), “you need to eat your oatmeal …” Oats have come a long way in our estimation since Dr. Johnson famously defined them as “a grain which in England is given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people,” however correct he may have been at the time. Oats have been providing sustenance for humans and animals since at least around 1,000 B.C., especially in the British Isles and across northern Europe. They are one of the most nutritious grains, containing significant levels of protein, as well as various vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Oats are particularly valued for their high fiber content, daily doses of which can help lower blood cholesterol levels. Oat products have increased significantly in recent years. According to “What’s in Store 2009,” new products with oats rose from 280 new products in 2004 to 647 in 2008, with 2009 expected to meet or exceed 2008’s figures. Much of this increase, they say, is a result of heavy marketing on the part of the Quaker Oats Company regarding oats’ ability to lower cholesterol and promote heart health. Although delicious and nutritious oat breads, muffins, cookies, and a number of other products abound, it is still as oatmeal that most Americans enjoy their daily fix of oat fiber. Jacobi offers the following definitions of the type of oats commonly available:

“Whole oats: called groats, they are the entire whole grain with just the hull removed.

Rolled oats (old-fashioned oats): flat flakes made by passing whole groats through metal rollers. Table-cut is the thickest and chewiest.

Quick-cooking oats: flakes rolled thinner to cook more rapidly.

Instant oats: thin, pre-cooked flakes.

Steel-cut oats (sometimes called Irish or Scotch oats): whole groats chopped into pieces. Pinhead oats are cut finer.

Oat bran: the outer coating, milled off the whole grain in fine flakes. Higher in fiber and protein, it cooks quickly. Sometimes called oat bran cereal.”

Quinoa is another ancient grain from South America and is similar to amaranth in that it contains high amounts of amino acids. It was a staple food of the ancient Incas and was particularly important because it can grow at altitudes too high for corn. Quinoa has a delicious nutty flavor and is great as a side dish, in soups and stews, and as a stuffing for fowl. Quinoa is also gluten-free, making it a popular choice for people who are sensitive to gluten. We are beginning to see many more importers of quinoa at food shows, as well as manufacturers using quinoa as an ingredient in baked goods, bars and snacks.

Teff is perhaps best known in the form of the singular soft bread made in Ethiopian culture. It is, after all, the native grain of Ethiopia and is highly favored there. It is just becoming more well-known in America for breads and other baked goods.

Triticale is a man-made grain, the result of crossbreeding wheat and rye by Swedish botanist A. Stephen Wilson in 1876. The name is a combination of the Latin names for each grain — TRITIcum for wheat and SeCALE for rye. The attraction was, of course, a grain that would have the bread-making properties of wheat and the hardiness of rye. It has become popular in recent years in breakfast cereals, baked goods and a variety of snacks.

The above is by no means an exhaustive list of the specialty grains available today, both in raw form and in a huge variety of products, but as attention grows regarding the nutritive qualities of whole grains, and as the government and the Whole Grains Council continue to urge the American people to consume more whole grains, you may want to consider your selection very carefully. Try to maintain an assortment of whole grain dishes in your prepared foods department as well as on your packaged food shelves. Also, many consumers are taking to grinding their own specialty grains for baking at home. Investigate the selection of home grain mills that have come on the market in recent years. Merchandising whole grains, whole grain products and home grain mills, along with informative signage espousing the benefits of including whole grains in one’s diet can be a fun and effective way to get the message across to your shoppers. I like apples, but a couple of servings of whole grains a day can also keep the doctor away, and they are a lot more filling.