One of the oldest and most versatile grains has to be barley. It has been used by nomadic tribes as a staple food even before it was taken up by the beer industry for beer brewing purposes. Yes, barley is one of the main ingredients in the making of beer. Since barley is adaptable to a host of uses, the things that you can do with this grain are almost limitless. Barley as a grain is highly nutritious as it has been found to contain fiber, complex carbohydrates, proteins and numerous vitamins. It has an unique flavor which is a great advantage when it comes to making of desserts, curries, casseroles, stews, soups and salads. Another advantage of this grain is its low fat levels as well as nil cholesterol levels.
Barley comes in a lot of forms with pearl barley being one of the most common barley forms.The outer hull in pearl barley is usually removed. Despite the pearl barley being the most common type, it is further split into two other barley sub groups. One type of the pearl barley is that which tends to cook pretty fast while the other type is the standard pearl barley type. Pearl barley is suited in the making of some hot cereals like is the case with oatmeal as well as baked foods. The following recipe outlines how to cook barley pearls. The recipe is extremely easy to come up with and a good nutritious alternative to those who usually have fatty breakfasts that are low in nutrition. You will need only 3 ingredients to make the pearl barley porridge.