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Packsize | 10 LB |
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French Green Lentils (Lens esculenta) are a hard-to-find Lentil that are a beautiful deep fall green. These lentils contain a seed coat and are 1/2 cm. wide with a mild, earthly flavor. The French Green Lentils texture is a bit firmer than most other lentils and hold their shape well when cooked. This tiny lens shaped pulse has traditionally been used as a meat substitute (a pulse is the dried seed of any legume, such as beans and peas). Lentils are the seed of a small shrub and are dried after harvesting. Lentils have been eaten for over 8000 years and originated in Southwestern Asia along the Indus River. The are a staple food for many South Asian cultures.
Packsize | 10 LB |
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The quick cooking and nutritious nature of lentils make them an obvious choice for winter soups. They are also good cooked and chilled for salads or mixed with bread crumbs to stuff vegetables. Blend lentils with middle eastern couscous and use as a bed for seafood or poultry.
First cultivated in the ancient fields of Babylon, the rustic grain farro is now a central cereal grain for chefs. Del Destino Italian Semi-Pearled Farro is certified USDA organic and has a forgiving, fibrous texture that boasts a complex, nutty taste offering hints of oat and barley. Farro is the ideal alternative to rice in applications like risotto and soups.
Corn is the only grain whose origin can be traced to the Americas. When Christopher Columbus landed in modern day Cuba some of his crew went inland and came across maize. Corn was then brought back to Europe. In Italy Corn is most often served as Polenta. This dish comes from the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy. Polenta can carry many different flavors and is a filling, nutritious dish. Fine Polenta has a slightly less coarse grind than traditional Polenta and has a shorter cooking time.
Einkorn, literally meaning “single grain” in German, was first cultivated five to ten thousand years ago. Einkorn is an ancient grain that is not yet commonly known in the western world, but used often in the Mediterranean region and in the mountainous areas of Europe. This grain is slightly finicky, completely delicious, good for you, has a slight yellowish tinge, and smells (and even looks) a little like corn flour. Unlike modern wheat which has a long history of hybridization, einkorn is a “diploid”, containing only two chromosomes unlike the modern cousin, which contains six, making it a “hexaploid”. Einkorn is packed with nutrition. It is a rich source of the beta carotene lutein, a powerful antioxidant. Einkorn has the highest amounts of lutein of any other variety of wheat. Einkorn is also a rich source of tocotrienols and tocopherols, powerful antioxidants and forms of Vitamin E. Compared to modern wheat varieties, einkorn has higher levels of protein, crude fat, phosphorous, and potassium.
Barley was one of the first crops cultivated by man, and has been used as a food since Biblical times. Today, barley is still considered an excellent source of soluble fiber. With a higher beta-glucan content than oats, barley can be effective in lowering serum cholesterol levels. Barley also contains fiber, protein, carbohydrates and B vitamins. It’s low in fat and has no cholesterol. Although pearled barley is commonly used in soups, barley can be milled into various fractions, producing different cuts, pearls, flours, grits and flakes.
Imported Italian Polenta. In the Lombardia region, the Moretti family has been attentively growing corn and making choice polenta since 1922. Carefully selected varieties of corn are air-dried in open barns until hardened. The kernels are carefully stone ground and vacuum-packed to retain the cornmeal’s natural freshness and flavor.