General information:
From Wikipedia: “Green spelt (Grünkern) is spelt that has been harvested when half ripe and then artificially dried. ...
... As a winter crop, the spelt meant for Grünkern would be harvested at the end of July and subsequently dehydrated, traditionally over a beechwood fire, or in modern times, in heated-air ovens. This preserves the grünkern (by reducing moisture content to 13%) and endows it with its typical taste and aroma. Before further processing, Grünkern must be husked or milled. Grünkern husk has been used as a cattle feed, or as the filler for small pillows which are meant to promote healthy sleep.
The first attested use of grünkern was in southern Germany, (Amorbach), in 1660.”
Uses and substances contained:
“Pillows filled with spelt husks are believed to promote healthy sleep. … Green spelt is used either whole or coarsely ground in soups and burgers.” Or it is used “in the form of groats, grits, flakes, or flour. … The rest is used as animal feed. Mature spelt can be used to make bread whereas green spelt flour cannot. The gluten in green spelt is changed during the drying process, and the flour made from green spelt is then no longer suitable for baking.
The nutitional value of green spelt ranges depending on the type, environmental conditions (soil and climate), and the cultivation techniques (ferilization and plant management).*”
Translated from “wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinkel”: “It’s true that there are certain differences between spelt and wheat when it comes to the amount of fat and fatty acids, amino acids, and vitamins and minerals they contain. However, it is questionable whether or not these differences extend beyond the natural range of nutritional value for the two grains and whether or not these differences still have an effect in light of the types of grain products (more highly processed) we eat today. One difference though is that spelt contains significantly more silica than wheat.”
As with wheat, spelt contains gluten, which can cause people who suffer from celiac disease (gluten intolerance) to have health problems.
General information about spelt:
From “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelt”: “Spelt (Triticum spelta; Triticum dicoccum), also known as dinkel wheat, or hulled wheat, is a species of wheat cultivated since approximately 5000 BC.
Spelt was an important staple in parts of Europe from the Bronze Age to medieval times; it now survives as a relict crop in Central Europe and northern Spain and has found a new market as a health food. Spelt is sometimes considered a subspecies of the closely related species common wheat (Triticum aestivum), in which case its botanical name is considered to be Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta. It is a hexaploid wheat, which means it has six sets of chromosomes. Over the years 2004 to 2014, spelt gained widespread popularity as a wheat substitute for making artisan breads, pasta and cereals.*”
Nutrition:
“ ... Spelt contains a moderate amount of gluten, and is therefore suitable for baking, but this component also makes it unsuitable for people with gluten-related disorders, such as celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergy. In comparison to hard red winter wheat, spelt has a more soluble protein matrix characterized by a higher gliadin:glutenin ratio.”
Note (italics): * = Translation from a German Wikipedia entry
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