Vegetarian Pyramid Series - Kamut

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“What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean.” (Isaac Newton)

This proverb holds so true whenever I visit my local health stores. Every time I assume that I am getting to the end of familiarizing myself with myriad range of whole grains (or any other ingredient for that matter), a new one pops up taking me completely by surprise. This is what happened about 6-8 months back when during my window grain shopping. I saw some fresh Kamut grains.


I got very curious and researched more about them. Kamut is an ancient grain and relative of Wheat. It was supposed to be originally from Egypt where stories go as far of it being taken from the Egyptian tombs. Some other studies say that they probably originated from Asia too. Anyways irrespective of wherever they are from, they are available in most areas of North America, Australia, Europe and in few Asian countries.

How to use Kamut?
Kamut is available in various forms in the market now days. You will see

1. Kamut Berries (see how to cook them here),
2. Kamut flour – these make delicate baked goods inspite of being high in gluten. Use them in place of whole wheat pastry flour in any recipe. I sometimes use them to replace half of white flour in my baking recipes,
3. Kamut Cereals sometimes find their way into my breakfast as a hearty porridge
4. Kamut crackers makes a great snack in the evening topped with dips and salsa
5. Kamut pasta making life much easier especially in cases when other forms are not available. Also its so much simpler to consume this whole grain in this form without getting into any time consuming effort too. No excuses to avoid eating them in any case.
   

Health Benefits of Kamut
Though it’s a cousin of Wheat, it has a higher nutritional value than whole wheat. It compares in the following points

1. 40% more protein,
   
2. more minerals,
   
3. 65% more amino acids,
   
4. more magnesium and
   
5. 30% more vitamin E makes it stand up mightier than wheat.

The controversy - to eat or not to eat, that is the questions (for celiacs)

From what I read in few books, they claim that Kamut (though wheat based) could be tolerated by people suffering from Celiac – if eaten in moderation. But other sources deny this claim outright.

Few people from Gluten Intolerance Group actually were kind enough to point that out to me in my Article about Kamut in my blog that it is not advisable for such people (including wheat allergies) to consume this grain which in some cases could lead to death (!!)

The end result? I would say better safe than sorry. If you have any wheat allergies or are suffering from celiac disease, avoid even going near the grain! Whenever there is dispute about such things, I usually take the safer route and would advise the same.

For the rest of us, if you have never tried this grain before, here are couple to start off. Simple, fast and delicious.


This deliciously simple and subtly healthy kamut pasta with baked asparagus is a winner in its own right.



Everything but the kitchen sink Kamut Pilaf is not only hearty but also healthy with mixed greens and baked Tofu. What a way to clean your fridge out :)

This post was written by Dhivya

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