Despite its name, buckwheat is neither a wheat nor a gluten. Although it is commonly treated like a grass or a cereal, buckwheat is actually the fruit seeds from a plant, or an agricultural weed known as Fagopyrum esculentum.
Buckwheat is a hearty whole food that can be grown in poor soil and weather conditions; it originated in Northern Europe and Asia. In North America, we often find buckwheat ground into flour, which is an excellent alternative to wheat flour or other glutinous flours, such as spelt, rye, and kamut.
Buckwheat is high in calcium and protein and can be found as a substitute for wheat in gluten-free beer, and its kernels, also known as groats, are an excellent substitute for rice or quinoa. To top it all off, the hulls of buckwheat are commonly used as fillings for pillows, and as a renewable natural resource, this product is much more environmentally friendly than a synthetic poly-filled pillow.
Most importantly though, buckwheat flour was the original flour used to make crepes. So for a little gluten-free delight, give this recipe a try:
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Crepes
Ingredients (for 6 crepes):
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- A pinch of sea salt
- 1 tbsp arrowroot or quinoa flour
- 1 lg egg
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Whisk the water, butter, and egg together and then mix with dry ingredients. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. Heat a pan and melt some butter. Once heated, pour some batter into the pan and rotate the pan to get the batter nice and smooth… you don’t want it to be too thick. Return the pan to heat for a couple of minutes until the top is hard. Flip the crepe over and let the other side brown.
Serve this delicious treat up with your favourite fruit mixture, maple syrup, or chocolate sauce. Enjoy!
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