Amber Waves of Grain

One of our favorite national songs, "America The Beautiful," clearly indicates that grains are integral to our lives, our history, and our country's livelihood. Such integration is especially true for those who grow up in the heartland where they come to appreciate the earth's vital energy and its rejuvenating powers. The wonders that sprang forth from the plains — corn, wheat, and oats — brought bounty to the table. Even those who grow up in the cities have a strong alliance with grains, albeit in processed forms — white rice, wheat bread, and pasta.

Even beyond our borders, grains have represented a primary source of nutrition throughout history. In Asia, rice remains elemental to daily life. In South America, it's corn, while in Britain, it's oats. All in all, "grains have remained humanity's staple," said Rebecca Wood, author of The Splendid Grain (William Morrow).

Interestingly, wild rice is the only grain native to America. Our ancestors brought all our other loves, from wheat, to oats, to corn and beyond, to our shores. Grains have become staples in our diets and so too have the recipes that incorporate them, from those for tortillas to those for sushi.

The Dominant Grain

Wheat is the world's most widely cultivated grain; however, since most of it is used for animal feed, more people throughout the world rely on rice. Almost everywhere wheat has been grown, it has served as one of the most valued cereal grains. The Romans depended on it and through the centuries, wheat served as the grain of the elite, while millet and barley fed the masses. Wheat was first established in the New World in the early 1500s when Spaniards began growing it in Mexico. Further European expansion resulted in the opening up of vast areas for wheat production.

Beyond the ease with which it grows throughout the world, wheat's importance hinges on its nutritional value. Wheat has more protein than most other staple cereal grains, making it the most nutritious of the staple grains. The most important wheat now cultivated — T. aestizum — is used in making bread. Other varieties such as durum or semolina are used for other U.S. favorites — pasta and couscous. Bulgur wheat is the main component of tabbouleh and wheat germ is used for cooking and baking, as well as a dietary supplement. The heirloom durum wheat kamut has a butter flavor and can be cooked whole or ground to make bread, pasta, and other baked goods. Spelt, an ancient red wheat, is used to make cereal, pasta, and bread and is tolerated by most people who are allergic to wheat.

Wheat varieties reach consumers in numerous forms, such as in bread and pasta, but most often as flour. Healthful, especially when enriched, white wheat flour has been a staple in American pantries for years. Consumers are just beginning to understand that the processing of wheat or any other grains affects its nutritional value. For instance, wholemeal flour is more nutritious than white flour because it contains all the bran and the germ, whereas these are removed from white flour, although the latter is often enriched with synthetic vitamins.

The Indispensable Grain

Cultivated in more than 110 countries, rice varieties number nearly 8,000. Rice is categorized in several ways. The first is by botanical variety such as Arborio or Carnaroli. It can also be classified by country or region, as in Camargue rice. The size and shape of the grain provides further distinction as rice can be long-, short-, or round-grained. Color, stickiness, and the extent of processing comprise other criteria by which rice is categorized. No wonder Americans have been slow to experiment with varieties other than white.

But that is changing.

In the last five to ten years, a myriad of reasons has led to increased consumer awareness of rice types other than white. One, for example, may be the change in demographics, with more people of rice-based cultures residing in America. The preparation possibilities of rice are endless with foods from Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, and Latin America, and as all these rice-based cuisines move into the mainstream of the U.S., the healthy benefits of rice are becoming better understood.

As a result, the once "specialty" jasmine and basmati rices have become mainstream choices. But just as consumers discern the differences between white minute-rice and a wild rice, they find they have to learn the differences between grades of basmati and jasmine.

Rice can be ground into flour and included in puddings, cakes, and biscuits. Rice may be made into rice noodles, which are typically found in Asia. Fermented rice is used to make vinegar or liquor such as sake or even made into rice paper and used as an edible base for sweet confections.

Since rice is about 80 percent starch, it provides an excellent supply of muscular energy when digested. Milled rice produces white rice as the milling process rubs off the brown or red outer layers of the rice which are rich in fiber and B vitamins. This reduction in healthful components is why brown rice is considered healthier.

Many opportunities exist to expand rice varieties at the retail level. Offering exciting varieties such as Bhutanese red rice, black rice, or the even the lesser-understood Italian varieties will spark consumer interest in grains at the store level; so too will the stocking of rice flours.

The Vegetable Grain

Originating 8,000 years ago, corn is the most widely used native grain in the western hemisphere. Although certain corn varieties are considered grains in the West, corn is commonly categorized as a vegetable. Corn is the only grain that contains vitamin A, and "relative to other cereal grains," noted Wood, "is refreshing and an ideal hot-weather grain."

While Americans love to consume corn in its whole (vegetable) form, corn is a constituent in many other items, such as beer, breakfast cereals, cornmeal, snacks, soups, or syrup as a sweetener.

Stone-ground corn flour has superior flavor and is excellent for baking due to its high oil content. Cornmeal is ground and dried corn that is often used to make grits, flour, and meal. Coarser than flour, it is frequently used in muffins and cornbread. Alternative cornbreads from throughout the Americas include tortillas and tamales, as well as the arepa of Colombia and Venezuela, which are small cakes of cornmeal cooked on a griddle and then baked.

Barley

Joining wheat as one of the world's two oldest cereal crops, barley remains a staple in many of the world's regions, especially in the Himalayas. Whole barley with its intact bran is more nutritious than refined or pearl barley as it has had the bran polished off, resulting in no fiber and half the protein, fat, and minerals.

While the bulk of barley is consumed as a beverage in the form of beer, it is also used in cooking — ground into meal or in soups, granola, muesli, or bread. Sold in a variety of forms, the flaked version is popular in breakfast cereals or as a low-gluten flour that gives a light crumb topping to cookies and cakes.

The Keen Grain

Quinoa was a principal agricultural commodity for the Aztec and Incan civilizations. As such, it played important ceremonial roles in both North and South America. When processed, it can be utilized in bread, biscuits, stews, soups, and tortillas. Offering the highest protein of any grain, quinoa is a complete protein (one which contains enough of all nine essential amino acids to support growth and repair). A high-energy grain, quinoa is easy to digest, making it ideal for fitness endurance.

Substituted quite easily for rice, couscous, or millet in recipes, quinoa is an excellent alternative for wheat-intolerant consumers. Made into flour, it can be utilized in breads, cookies, and cakes. Great as a side dish, quinoa has a subtle, sweet nutty flavor.

The Nearly Perfect Grain

Once a favorite grain of the Incas, Aztecs, and other pre-Colombian people, amaranth (often referred to as Inca Wheat) eventually lost prominence, virtually disappearing from the Americas. But this high-protein grain, which has twice as much fiber as wheat, is once again gaining popularity, and has even begun to appear on the shelves of specialty food stores in the U.S. The amino acid balance of its protein makes it one of the most nutritional of all the cereal grains. High in protein and calcium, amaranth delivers its benefits best in grain form. As a flour, it serves well for those sensitive to gluten and because of its high starch content, amaranth creates a wonderfully thick broth for soups.

Same Story, Different Food

Convenience, variety, healthfulness — that's what consumers are asking for from their grain choices.

Convenience. On the shelves, convenience can be represented by a pecan wild rice with a spice packet that provides a tempting nutty aroma and all the nutritional value of brown rice in less time. By choosing the proper packaged grain products, your customers can have the cleanest natural product simply prepared in a minimal amount of time.

Offering convenience in the prepared foods department, grains can be used in a multitude of foods ranging from soups to cold salads, or as hot components used to serve (or sell) with proteins. Noted Peter Repak, executive chef at Fox & Obel Food Market in Chicago, "I've noticed that customers are eating a lot more grains and vegetable side dishes than meats, focusing on health." Also, fitting in with prevailing trends, Repak is finding that consumers want to cook their own meat, but want the grains and vegetables already prepared for them. "Most of our customers aren't interesting in preparing it at home — they want to take it away," explained Repak. "They still grapple with the preparation of grains they aren't familiar with, including some of the specialty rices."

Variety. Shunning the "me-too" approach, retailers must go beyond just offering a variety of the basic grains. "That's what will bring consumers into the store," explained Repak. "Consumers are adventurous today. Once they're in the store, the challenge is to encourage them to try different grains. That's where sampling becomes important." It isn't much of a leap to try a new rice — consumers only need to be schooled on how to prepare them, as well as what the different taste profiles may offer their recipes.

"Why should we limit ourselves to whole wheat," asked Wood, "especially when there are so many alternatives? It's simply a matter of consumer education." Beyond penne, entice customers with Soba or Udon specialties. These Asian pastas are composed of whole-grain wheat, enhancing the nutritional value for the consumer and the profit margin for the retailer. Wood agrees the bottom line is that consumers are interested in new products utilizing grains they are accustomed to, particularly if they know how to prepare them and can do so easily.

As for offering variety elsewhere in the store, "How many customers walk into your store on a regular basis looking for alternatives," Wood asked, "particularly those with allergies?" It is so overwhelming for them to taste and buy new ingredients. Soften the blow by providing them with demos in which they can taste all the grains you have to offer. Plus, recommend cooking schools which also furnish a forum for new adventures with grains.

Variety in the bakery entices consumers to buy more than sourdough or baguette breads. In Fox & Obel's bakery, "consumers are buying more breads," assures Pamela Fitzpatrick, executive baker for Fox & Obel. "Now that the artisan bread business has been common for ten or 15 years, consumers are comfortable venturing from a sourdough or baguette to a variety of multigrain breads." Beyond that, Fitzpatrick notes that intolerance for many products, especially wheat, has led to a growing demand for gluten-free breads.

Rice crackers, stone-ground wheat crackers, pancake mixes, rice-based brownie mixes, and pastas — all are wonderful grain-based packaged items that are becoming staples in everyone's kitchen cupboard. All provide an increased opportunity for retailers to showcase grains.

Healthfulness. There is no doubt that grains are a healthy part of any diet — after all, grains are at the base of every food pyramid.

Wood is not only an accomplished cookbook author, but has been a cooking schoolteacher for 30 years. What fascinates her is the healing properties of foods such as, "using a rice-based soup based on a Chinese recipe to penetrate and move a cold out of your system," she explains. The question about grains for Wood is "how to select from the incredible variety of grains (and other healthful foods) not only for their taste, texture, and aroma, but to support kidneys and the nervous system."

"The reality," said Wood, "is that so many people are looking for something fast and quick. What I love to teach is both quick and easy and also supports their overall health above and beyond calories." Wood likens healthful cooking — which includes grains — to a garden. "There are more than roses that can be part of a garden," she explains. "You have to learn to enjoy pansies and petunias."