Old is New Again

Today’s farmers are busy planting grains in Alberta that first appeared thousands of years ago on ancient Mediterranean farms. And now Albertans are taking notice.

story By Phoebe Dey

The Incas used them. So did the early Romans, Greeks and Egyptians. While we may not worship our grain crops the way people in those civilizations did, we are slowly beginning to appreciate the benefits of these life-giving seeds. 

Take spelt; with a heritage that dates back 7,000 years, this hearty grain was once so revered it was used as a gift to the pagan gods. The Incas considered quinoa the mother of all grains, believing the kernels had magical and medicinal qualities that helped them live long, healthy lives. When barley was cultivated, it was used for more than food - it was also a basic unit of measure, and standard currency for ancient Egyptian and Greeks.

Nowadays, people in North America are rediscovering what people in bygone times already knew: grains pack a wallop of a nutritional punch. Cereal grains, such as maize, wheat, barley and millet, have been around for as long as humans have. Cereal crops come from grasses cultivated for their seeds. In some developing nations, cereal grains constitute practically the entire diet of the population. In developed nations, cereal consumption is more moderate. Ancient seeds such as kamut, quinoa, spelt, barley and flax are among a number grown in Alberta, some for the first time.

Barley is well known to this province. Canada is the second largest barley producer in the world, with a production of close to 13 million tonnes annually, and Alberta produces almost 50 per cent, or five million tonnes a year. And although only a portion of the world barley market makes it onto our plates - 80 per cent is grown for animal feed, 15 per cent for malt beer and five per cent for direct food use - it didn’t start out that way. Wild barley was once the chief grain of choice for the ancient Greeks and Hebrews, and the Romans used it in porridge and bread. In Egypt it was the main food grain before wheat was introduced. However, as wheat and rice gained popularity, barley became known as food for animals or the poor.

Today, its nutty flavour and nutritional benefits are making it easy to serve this whole grain in a number of ways. And it has one of the highest sources of fibre and is high in B-vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin and niacin. Why not make barley pancakes, pizza or tabouli?

Michelle Naylor is just one of many Albertans working ancient grains into her daily regimen. She makes sure she has a regular supply in her house. While going through a 14-day cleanse - a process believed by some to rid the body of toxins - she started dabbling in new recipes, many of which called for whole grains. Instead of potatoes, she would substitute a grain like quinoa or wild rice. “I had to be creative, so for breakfast I might have porridge and add grains and nuts on top,” says the Edmontonian. “Now I always have bulgar and barley at my house.”

Naylor isn’t the only one sharing that sentiment. Lacombe-based grain broker Artesian Acres markets bulk cereals and a range of organic Kamut products, including pasta, flour and kernels. General manager Douglas Walsh is happily watching the Canadian Kamut market grow by three to five per cent a year. “I think people like its flavour and they like the fact that it’s an ancient grain,” says Walsh. “It hasn’t been messed with and it is still in its original form.”

While modern wheat has changed dramatically over the decades - bred to be easier to grow and harvest, to increase yield, and to have high gluten content for the production of commercial baked goods - many of the ancient grains have retained their original properties.

In the last 50 years, Kamut has nearly vanished from its traditional lands in northern Africa and the Middle East, but is now being cultivated throughout North America. Legend has it the grain first came here after the Second World War. A U.S. airman sent home a handful of kernels of grain he bought from someone who claimed to have taken them from a tomb in Egypt. He mailed them to his father, a Montana wheat farmer, who planted and harvested a small crop and displayed the grain as a novelty at the local fair. The grain was dubbed “King Tut’s Wheat.” The novelty soon wore off, however, and the grain was all but forgotten until the late 1970s, when one of the remaining jars of the grains was obtained by another Montana wheat farmer, T. Mack Quinn, and his son Bob, an agricultural scientist and plant biochemist. They spent the next decade propagating and studying the kernels.

Their research revealed it to be an ancient relative of modern durum wheat. It was probably cultivated in obscurity until modern times when someone sold it, and a tall tale, to the U.S soldier. The Quinns eventually trademarked the name Kamut, an ancient name for wheat. Kamut is higher in energy than other wheats, and higher in minerals, such as magnesium and zinc, the natural antioxidant selenium and in vitamin E. The grain also contains more protein, amino acids, lipids and fatty acids than its brethren.

Today, Kamut thrives in northern Montana, southeastern Alberta and Saskatchewan, where the crop likes hot - but not too hot - and dry conditions. Its ability to produce high quality grains without artificial fertilizers and pesticides makes it an excellent crop for organic farming.

Walsh hopes more Albertans will embrace Kamut the way Europeans have, where the market is growing by 15 per cent a year. “The Italians have grabbed this product and let their imaginations run with it,” says Walsh. “They’ve shown how versatile it is. It can be used in breads, pastas, breakfast cereals - you name it.”

Richard Lebeau is particularly pleased to see a wider variety of ancient grains becoming more readily available in Alberta. Diagnosed with Celiac disease almost eight years ago, Lebeau was forced to eliminate any grains with gluten from his diet. It was a radical change for him, but knowing how his body reacted to gluten - his energy level would decrease, he faced major digestive problems - he had to stick to a strict regimen. “I never veer from the straight and narrow, and if I eat gluten, it only happens by accident,” says Lebeau.

So when he sees more diversified products catering to people who can’t tolerate wheat, Lebeau is thrilled. His days start with a bowl of gluten-free cereal whose ingredient list includes such ancient grains as quinoa, flax and amaranth as well as cornmeal, corn flour and buckwheat flour. Or he’ll turn quinoa flakes into porridge, or use it in lieu of rice.

“It’s nice to be able to add some variety to my meals again,” says Lebeau. “Some of the effects from this allergy can be quite debilitating so it is great to see more products available that I can eat.”

Farmer Jerry Koustrop hopes more people realize the benefits of another grain; spelt. Based in Drumheller, Koustrop started growing two varieties of this high-protein species of wheat more than four years ago and now has up to 500 acres of the crop on his farm. But it isn’t for everyone. Although it’s easy to grow, he says, it takes a lot of work to remove the grain’s husk. “Some of my neighbours have watched me with interest but there are always trials and tribulations with new crops,” he says. “Maybe once I jump through all the hoops, others will be interested.”

There is a bit of a Catch-22 when it comes to ancient grains gaining favour with the public, says Koustrop. Once the demand grows for spelt, he says, perhaps more producers will be interested in planting it. But it is difficult to create demand if the product isn’t well known.

Dr. Rachid El Hafid thinks that as soon as western Canadians catch on to the powerful properties of these old grains, their potential will be endless. A research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Food, El Hafid was first turned on to quinoa when his Ecuadorian mother-in-law brought the seed home during a visit to Canada. El Hafid started reading the nutritional content on the package and was amazed by its profile. “I was surprised by how perfect this one little seed was,” says El Hafid, noting its high protein and fibre contents. “It’s really a full meal deal.”

Quinoa’s versatility means it can be used to replace rice, or as a substitute for couscous, and its tender yet chewy texture lends itself well to pilafs, salads, stews and chili. Soon, he brought his personal interest in the grain into his professional life. After sampling the tasty morsel himself, and living in Ecuador for a year, he led a study looking at the feasibility of growing quinoa in Alberta.

The crop was first grown in this province in the 1980s but the yields were so variable and there wasn’t much information on how to grow it, so it was soon abandoned, says El Hafid. Also, during that first Alberta run, the quinoa held a high content of saponin, a natural bitter-tasting coat that protects it from birds and insects. Since then, Northern Quinoa Corp, a company based in Kamsack, Saskatchewan, has developed a process to remove this coating so that the product is pan ready and no longer requires an extensive process of washing and rinsing the seed before cooking.

Although quinoa is being grown again in Alberta - it thrives in cooler conditions and does well north of Highway 16 - its only challenge is competition from other crops, says El Hafid. “Most farmers know how to grow wheat or barley,” he says. “The volume isn’t there yet for quinoa. There is a bit of a lack of communication about it. People don’t know much about its benefits and farmers don’t know enough about how to grow it.”

But El Hafid says he is already seeing more of it. Specialty or health food shops as well as major grocery outlets are beginning to stock it. Jason Wagner, a grocery manager at Edmonton’s Organic Roots Food Market where much of their baked goods are made with spelt, and pastas are made of corn, rice or quinoa, says he has a hard time keeping up with demand. “Our bakery is always sold out, so the demand is obviously there,” he says, adding his bakers spend years learning to cook with spelt, a heavier grain that requires more attention. “The more unique items we carry, the better we do.”

El Hafid hopes more Albertans and farmers -recognize these ancient grains for their distinguished historical pedigree and nutritional value they provide.

“Quinoa has exceptional health benefits - it’s very high in calcium, iron and zinc and those micro-nutrients are very essential for our development,” says El Hafid. “I think once people know more about it, they will be buying as much of it as they can.” 

Research revealed a certain grain to be an ancient relative of modern durum wheat. It was probably cultivated in obscurity until modern times when someone sold it, and a tall tale, to the U.S soldier.

Oldies but Goodies

Kamut  While the origins of this grain are up for debate, it is believed that Kamut was kept alive by peasant farmers in Egypt or Asia Minor. The word Kamut is actually a trademark used to market this relative of modern durum wheat. Two to three times the size of common wheat with 20 to 40 per cent more protein, this higher energy grain has elevated levels of vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and complex carbohydrates. With a rich, buttery flavour this grain is easily digested and substituted for common wheat.

Barley  Whole grain barley flour can reduce elevated cholesterol, improve diabetic control, aid in bowel regularity and provide essential vitamins and minerals. The high satiety value of high-fibre products can delay feelings of hunger and help in weight loss. Barley also has components that may reduce fat and cholesterol absorption in the intestine. This can result in lower blood cholesterol, especially LDL (harmful) cholesterol, in people with high cholesterol.

Spelt   This ancient cousin to wheat is mentioned in the Bible, but the most abundant evidence of spelt shows that it was grown first by farmers in Europe 5,000 years ago. Spelt also contains carbohydrates important to blood clotting and stimulating the body’s immune system. It’s an excellent source of vitamin B2, niacin, thiamin and copper. This particular combination of nutrients may be beneficial for people with migraine headaches or diabetes.

Quinoa  This seed is one of the most nutritious grains. Not a true cereal grain, it’s the botanical fruit of an herb but the Incas still called it the “mother of all grains.” The small seeds contain more protein than any other grain and fewer carbohydrates than most cereals. It’s high in fiber, non-saturated fats and is an important source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin E and some of the B complex. Quinoa is a complete protein, similar in nutritional value to milk.

Click here for the Cheddar Chili Soup recipe.