i'm currently chained to my printer (long story), so instead of cooking i'm wandering aimlessly though the interwebs.
i came across a really interesting article in the new york times about the differences between spelt and farro. like many people i had mistakenly thought they were the same thing.
now i know.
yesterday i posted the above article explaining how spelt and farro were not the same thing. it turns out that there is a lot more confusion about this whole topic than i was expecting. a speltie (in the know) forwarded me some information that she had received from a spelt farmer in washington.
it turns out that "farro" is an umbrella term for three types of grain, einkorn (Triticum monoccocum), emmer (Triticum diccocum) and spelt (Triticum spelta).
further internet searching explains that in italy (where the term farro comes from), that there are three sizes of farro, piccolo (einkorn), medio (emmer), and grande (spelt).
it seems as if the most common "farro" sold is farro medio (aka emmer), but that confusion and mislabelling abound.
i guess the moral of the story is that spelt = farro. sometimes.
3 comments:
Hey Spelty, I know the article and the New York Times article did not get it quite right. You can check in with Purity Foods in Okemos, Michigan for an accurate comparison. Also, I will email you an article from the owner of Lentz Spelt - which has been in his family for more than 100 yrs - who gives a very good explanation. Beth at Spelt Right.
I like that...Spelt = Farro, sometimes. Sounds a little like a politician talking. I have not YET sent you breads or bagels, but I will, I will, I promise.....sounding also like a politician myself. Did you notice that the Martha Stewart Every Day Food blog did a review of Spelt Right products and linked your blog? http://everydayfoodblog.marthastewart.com/2010/09/spelt-right.html Kind of cool.
hey beth- that is so cool about the martha blog! go spelt!
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