Scratchy grains

A couple of international foods I feel good about:

Finn crisps as a healthy alternative to French baguette.
Sold at Whole Foods, international sections of some regular supermarkets, ethnic stores, Amazon.

Buckwheat as a healthy grain, high in fiber, protein, vitamin B complex, minerals.
Perfect for vegan and vegetarian diet.
Good for people suffering from diabetes / concerned with controlling blood sugar levels, people with risk of heart disease, people concerned with gluten-free diet because of celiac disease or other reasons [not to be discussed here and now].
FACT: It is not a cereal grain.
While many people think that buckwheat is a cereal grain, it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel making 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 flavoured, dark honey (Whole Foods).

Could work as a side dish and goes well with beef stew, or as a main entrée and goes well with sautéed onions or/and mushrooms. I prefer to buy unroasted buckwheat and roast it myself for the above purposes:
Buckwheat Groats (Amazon)  / Arrowhead Mills - buckwheat groats. Works fine for breakfast with milk added right into the bowl of porridge.

It may come pre-roasted (like Wolf's Kasha). Not my preference.


Buckwheat flour (e.g. from Arrowhead Mills)  helps with guilt-free gluten-free pancakes and baking. Actually, buckwheat pancakes belong to traditional Acadian cousine.
Tried buckwheat pancakes in Nova Scotia, home to Acadian culture. Splendid sun-dawns and nature walks, bland food.  

Soba noodles in your soup for dinner will work well too.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were two of the first American farmers to grow buckwheat and recognize the benefit to their crop rotations. With increased focus on specializing in the major commodities during the 1900s, buckwheat become much less common. In recent years, some farmers in north Missouri grew buckwheat under contract with a major buckwheat processor (Jefferson Institute).