history
History of Barley
Barley is a cereal grain derived from the annual grass Hordeum vulgare.
Barley has many uses. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various healthy foods. It is used in soups and stews, and in barley breads of various cultures, from Scotland to Africa.
There is evidence of exploiting wild barley from as far back as 26 000 years in the Near East. This makes barley the oldest known domesticated cereal crop. Barley and rye are the hardiest of the cereals, able to over winter in the sub Arctic and Siberia.
Barley was the other major grain crop, and the Ancient Egyptians used it to make the beer that was consumed by everyone daily. The brew had an alcohol content of about 8 per percent. To make it, the Egyptians first moistened barley with water, and left it to stand. Then they mixed the moist grains with lightly baked barley loaves in a large jar, poured on more water and let the mixture ferment. When the beer was ready it was very thick and had to be strained before drinking.
It’s worth mentioning that larger-scale civilizations did not begin to flourish until people could grow and store enough food in one area to survive—a change which put an end to the previously nomadic lifestyle and allowed for greater population growth.
Barley contains eight essential amino acids. According to a recent study, eating whole grain barley can regulate blood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10 hours after consumption compared to white or even whole-grain wheat, which has a similar glycemic index. The effect was attributed to colonic fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates. Barley can also be used as a coffee substitute.
Hulled barley (or covered barley) is eaten after removing the inedible, fibrous outer hull. Once removed, it is called dehulled barley (or pot barley or scotch barley).[ Considered a wholegrain, dehulled barley still has its bran and germ making it a nutritious and popular health food. Pearl barley (or pearled barley) is dehulled barley which has been steam processed further to remove the bran. It may be polished, a process known as “pearling”. Dehulled or pearl barley may be processed into a variety of barley products, including flour, flakes similar to oatmeal, and grits.
Barley-meal, wholemeal barley flour which is lighter than wheat meal but darker in colour, is used in porridge and gruel in Scotland.
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