What Is Barley Used For And How Is It Consumed?

Barley is a well-known ingredient because it is part of drinks such as beer or whiskey. However, it is also a component of various dishes. Let’s discover together its characteristics and some recipes to prepare it at home.

Barley characteristics

This cereal is a sweet-tasting grass. Its spikes are long and flexible, and it is sown in autumn and spring in West Asia and North East Africa (places of origin).

Together with wheat, corn and rice, it forms a group of “outstanding” cereals throughout the world. It can be planted in less fertile soils and at different heights. At present, the largest producers of this cereal are Canada and Russia, as this study points out.

For thousands of years, this cereal was used to make bread, something that today has been replaced by wheat.

People looking for a healthier diet choose barley. With it they prepare stews, soups, pasta, sautéed with vegetables, salad, etc. It is a good option to consume for breakfast with milk, yogurt or orange juice like any other cereal.

Curiosities about barley

• Its most popular use is the manufacture of milkshakes and musts.
• It is recommended, in some countries, that pregnant women consume it.
• It is the base of the manufacture of beer, syrup, vinegar, whiskey and gin.
• In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used to make liver cures and treat allergies.
• It is said that Pythagoras and Plato believed that it helped to think and concentrate.
• Legend has it that Galen and Hippocrates believed that drinking barley water helped cure diseases.
• It is said that it is the oldest cereal harvested and used by man.

Barley benefits

According to data from the US Deparment of Agriculture , this cereal is a source of B vitamins. Also, it provides vitamin K and folic acid. Here are some of the benefits it is believed to offer:

• It would regulate cholesterol. A study carried out by St. Michael’s Hospital found that those who consumed barley on a regular basis had both LDL and HDL cholesterol levels reduced by 7%.

• It has an antioxidant effect that would help fight free radicals, preventing diseases.
• It would avoid the rigidity of the capillaries.
• It would prevent the accumulation of fats in the liver.
• It would protect the nervous system, helping to fight depression and anxiety.
• Its consumption is usually recommended to children who have growth problems.

Barley also contains specific minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, as well as trace elements such as copper, zinc, sulfur, iron, and iodine.

Coriander barley recipe

Another recipe to prepare this cereal contains a new ingredient such as coriander. Let’s see how to make this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of barley.
• 1 green serrano pepper.
• 5 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder.
• 2 fists of coriander.
• 1 clove garlic.
• 1 tablespoon butter.

Preparation

1. Rinse the cereal under cold water to remove impurities.
2. Put butter in a pot and melt it.
3. Add the cereal, previously drained, and leave it for 10 minutes without stopping stirring.
4. Put the water, coriander, garlic, chili and consommé in a blender.
5. Blend well until none of the ingredients are perceived.
6. We put the barley and the result of the smoothie in a saucepan.
7. Cook over low heat until the liquid is ebapore.
8. Remove and decorate with fresh coriander.

Now that you know what barley is for and how it is consumed, we encourage you to try the recipes that we have proposed. They will not disappoint you.