Getting to know gluten-free grains

Gluten-free grains can be enjoyed as porridge or cereal, an accompaniment to a meal, in a salad or used in baking. Many of our gluten-free grains are ancient grains which means they have been cultivated and consumed since ancient times. They are minimally processed and high in fibre. Examples are buckwheat, millet, quinoa and teff. These are a few useful facts about them:

• Quinoa is a seed, which is cooked and eaten like a grain. It only takes about 15 minutes to cook and has a nutty taste and slightly crunchy texture. Red quinoa has a slightly earthier taste than white quinoa.

• Buckwheat and teff are similar to quinoa in that they are also seeds, which are cooked and eaten like grains. They all contain complete protein (i.e. consist of all essential amino acids). Buckwheat has a similar texture to barley and teff has a slightly malty flavour and is delicious as porridge or as an alternative to couscous.

• Gluten-free oats are oats which have been grown, stored and milled separately from gluten-containing grains to prevent cross contamination with gluten. They have been laboratory tested to be gluten-free and therefore safe for Coeliac sufferers to consume.