荞麦（学名：Fagopyrum esculentum）是蓼科荞麦属的植物，也有人将其
分入蓼属，它是一种双子叶植物。普通荞麦和同属的苦荞麦
（F. tataricum Gaertn）、金荞麦（F. cymosum L.）都可以作为粮食，但荞麦和其他粮食作物不同的是，
它不属于禾本科。荞麦是从野生荞麦（Fagopyrum
leptopodum）演化出来的，但野生荞麦是一种藤
本植物，而荞麦的茎却是直立的。
荞麦种子呈三角形，被一个硬壳所包裹，去壳后可磨面食用
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a plant cultivated for its grain-like seeds, and also used as a cover crop. Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat, as it is not a grass; instead, buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb
(source : wikipedia)
蕎麥麵粉比小麥麵粉的颜色較深，法国人用于做黑麵包；日
本人做蕎麥麵，朝鲜人做一种凉糕，波兰人直接用未磨的去
皮种子做粥，此外欧洲人还用来做粥或做淀粉使汤增稠。荞
麦面中含有芦丁，可以缓解心血管疾病，由于其含糖蛋白量
很少，可以被对糖蛋白不能吸收的人食用。
Buckwheat noodles play a major role in the cuisines of Japan (soba), Korea (naengmyeon, makguksu and memil guksu) and the Valtellina region of Northern Italy (pizzoccheri). Soba noodles are the subject of deep cultural importance in Japan. In Korea, guksu (noodles) were widel...y made from buckwheat before it was replaced by wheat. The difficulty of making noodles from flour with no gluten has resulted in a traditional art developed around their manufacture by hand.
Buckwheat groats are commonly used in western Asia and eastern Europe. The porridge was common, and is often considered the definitive peasant dish. It is made from roasted groats that are cooked with broth to a texture similar to rice or bulgur. The dish was brought to America by Russian and Polish immigrants who called it kasha, and they mixed it with pasta or used it as a filling for knishes and blintzes, and hence buckwheat prepared in this fashion is most commonly called "kasha" in America, but the groats themselves are called "grechka" by Russian immigrants.[citation needed] Groats were the most widely used form of buckwheat worldwide during the 20th century, eaten primarily in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. The groats can also be sprouted and then eaten raw or cooked.
Buckwheat pancakes, sometimes raised with yeast, are eaten in several countries. They are known as buckwheat blinis in Russia, galettes in France (savoury crêpes made with buckwheat flour, water and eggs are associated with Lower Brittany, whilst savoury galettes made without eggs are from Higher Brittany), ployes in Acadia and boûketes (which are named after the buckwheat plant) in the Wallonia region of Belgium. Similar pancakes were a common food in American pioneer days.They are light and foamy. The buckwheat flour gives them an earthy, mildly mushroom-like taste. In Ukraine, yeast rolls called hrechanyky are made from buckwheat. Buckwheat flour is also used to make Nepali dishes like "dhedo" and "kachhyamba".
Farina made from groats are used for breakfast food, porridge, and thickening materials in soups, gravies, and dressings. In Korea, buckwheat starch is used to make a jelly called memilmuk. It is also used with wheat, maize (polenta taragna in Northern Italy) or rice in bread and pasta products.
Buckwheat contains no gluten and can consequently be eaten by people with coeliac disease or gluten allergies. Many bread-like preparations have been developed. However, buckwheat can be a potent and potentially fatal allergen by itself. In sensitive people, it provokes IgE-mediated anaphylaxis. The cases of anaphylaxis induced by buckwheat ingestion have been reported in Korea, Japan and Europe, where it is more often described as a "hidden allergen". A recent article by Heffler et al. showed allergic reactions, even severe ones, induced by accidental ingestion of buckwheat as "hidden allergy", are not so rare as previously described.
(source : wikipedia)
荞麦种皮可以用于填充枕头和坐垫，荞麦皮比较坚固，不传热和反射热。尤其对那些对羽毛过敏的人，荞麦皮枕头比羽绒枕头要好，所以荞麦皮也作为一种商品买卖。现在正在研究荞麦皮枕头对人类健康的益处。
Buckwheat hulls are used as filling for a variety of upholstered goods, including pillows and zafu. The hulls are durable and do not conduct or reflect heat as much as synthetic fills. They are sometimes marketed as an alternative natural fill to feathers for those with allergies. However, medical studies to measure the health effects of buckwheat hull pillows manufactured with unprocessed and uncleaned hulls, concluded such buckwheat pillows do contain higher levels of a potential allergen that may trigger asthma in susceptible individuals than do new synthetic-filled pillows.
(source: wikipedia)
近些年来用荞麦取代其他粮食来酿造啤酒，可以降低啤酒中
的含糖蛋白量，生产“无糖蛋白啤酒”，适合对糖蛋白敏感
的，患乳糜泻的人饮用。
冰淇淋 :近年來有一些手工冰淇淋店，模仿一般冰淇淋的口感，使
用蕎麥製作出不含乳製品的蕎麥冰淇淋，零膽固醇，熱量較
低，全素可食，算是一種另類的冰品
In recent years, buckwheat has been used as a substitute for other grains in gluten-free beer. Although it is not a cereal, buckwheat can be used in the same way as barley to produce a malt that can form the basis of a mash that will brew a beer without gliadin or hordein (together gluten) and therefore can be suitable for coeliacs or others sensitive to certain glycoproteins.
(source : wikipedia)
