Grains of tomorrow

The popularity of whole grains continues to grow, and once exotic quinoa and farro have become quite mainstream. Food & Wine magazine highlights three grains that are poised to ride the next wave of popularity.  “I’ve always felt like I’ve been a little bit ahead of my time with my interest in health food,” says chef Aimee Oxley of Philadelphia’s Talula’s Table. She believes that the future belongs to kamut, spelt and amaranth.

Of course these grains aren’t “new” in an evolutionary sense; in fact, they’re some of the oldest grains on Earth. And while they might not be as mainstream as barley and oats, each of these has been used by chefs for years, as evidenced by the showing in the EYB Library. In particular, spelt is quite popular with over 1,000 recipes.

Amaranth and kamut lag behind, with 108 and 35 recipes, respectively. What is interesting is how varied the recipes are. You’ve got everything ranging from Maple-cider popcorn balls from Tasting Table and Food & Wine Magazine to Kamut salad from Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2013 (photo top right) to Amaranth crackers with cheddar and pepitas from Crackers & Dips: More Than 50 Handmade Snacks by Ivy Manning (photo top left) and Vanilla amaranth with peach compote  from Cooking Light Magazine.

What’s your favorite new (or old) grain?