What is Pearl Barley?
Pearl barley refers to barley grains, an important cereal grain, that has been processed to remove certain parts of each grain. All barley usually has the hull removed, since the hull is inedible. Pearl barley gets additional treatment by having most of the bran removed too. If you’re looking at the dried goods section of your grocery store, you’ll likely find pearl barley near dried peas, lentils and beans, or you can purchase this processed barley in bulk at many natural foods stores.
Some pearl barley receives further processing, and can then be ground into flour, or chopped into flakes similar to oatmeal flakes. Such flakes can make an excellent hot cereal or be present in multi-grain cereals. Barley flakes also make their way into animal feed. Roughly half of the barley produced in the world is used to feed animals.
In “people food,” pearl barley is found in a variety of soups and stews. It makes a great alternative to rice or pasta, and can help thicken soups. Unlike beans, it doesn’t require pre-soaking prior to adding it to dishes, but it does require time to soften. You can find a few instant varieties that will cook faster, but you should usually plan to cook the pearl barley for at least an hour.
You can also adjust thickness of the soups or stews by changing the barley to liquids ratio. A few grains will just add interesting texture to soup. Several cups of the grain will make soups and stews very thick.
There has been growing interesting in purchasing whole grain, instead of pearl barley. When the bran is not removed, this cereal grain’s nutritional value increases dramatically, adding more dietary fiber. In addition, people who are watching their blood sugar levels might want to consider finding whole grain barley. A few studies suggest that consumption of the whole grain version can help regulate blood sugar for possibly as long as ten hours after consumption.
Even without the bran, pearled barley provides a wonderfully nutritious food. One cup (226.9 grams) of cooked pearled barley provides 12% of the US Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of iron, and 24% of the RDA of dietary fiber, with a wholesome 6 grams of fiber offered. Such a serving, which is pretty large, has about 193 calories.
You might consider using pearl barley in place of rice, couscous, or pasta as a side dish. The slightly sweet and mild grain lends itself well to cold salads in vinaigrettes, or even as a breakfast cereal, topped with a bit of brown sugar. Some people assert that it is best in the classic beef barley soup, but there are tons of different recipes in cookbooks and online that can expand your use of this valuable grain and add many new and tasty dishes to your cooking repertoire.
Written by Tricia Ellis-Christensen
