Spelt, the most complete cereal

Easier to digest than common wheat, spelt is rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and proteins, as well as in fiber. We will gather all the benefits that have turned it into the fashionable superfood.

The growing research into food products has created an increasingly complete food industry in which the items found in the supermarket almost promise nutritional perfection. It is precisely what happens with spelt also known as dinkel wheat, a variety of wheat that is considered the most complete and ancient cereal of the world. And in this case, the long experience that brings the centuries goes along with the benefits that it offers.

The spelt is highly rich in carbohydrates and protein but low in fat, and a greater supply of vitamins, minerals and fiber than common wheat, plus easier to digest is one of the reasons that have made it a must foodstuff, which can be in the form of biscuits, pasta, bread…

But also, spelt is a wheat variety that is distinguished from the common because the lemma and palea, two parts of the herringbone, create a shell that holds together the grain after passing by threshing; hence commonly say that it is ‘dressed’.

This significant feature of the spelt ensures the protection of its shell and, therefore becomes a type of wheat stronger against external setbacks such as pests, drought or of soil contaminants, these are the reasons that have extended the cultivation of buckwheat in organic farming, without ignoring that these peculiarities make it very suitable for the germination.

Different varieties of spelt
Spelt has two varieties, Triticum spelta and Triticum diccocum, and both are considered a subspecies of wheat. Although the consumption of this cereal goes back to the bronze age, it lost its presence from the 19th century, when its production fell due to the increase of the profitability that offered by the common wheat.

The type of grain and its size are factors that make different types of spelt with those manufactured the products that we can find on the market. Broadly speaking, you can distinguish between:

• Small wild spelt: Its size is reduced and its grain is coated.
• Small cultivated spelt: its size is reduced, but its grain is exposed.
• Big spelt: Its size is more considerable and its grain is coated. It is more resistant to external factors such as humidity and cold.