Because farro is used interchangeably with emmer it is best to species specific- farro is Triticum turgidum dicoccum. It is believed, a priori, emmer was 2nd wheat cultivated by humans. Einkorn wheat gets the nod for having been cultivated first. Einkorn is a little less particular about its climate and hardier, producing in cooler climates, but has lower yields than emmer. Funny thing; most of the seats of civilization were decidedly uncool (temperature-wise, I mean what’s cooler than a Ziggurat).
Despite this glaring paradox most scholars believe the order went Einkorn, barley, followed by emmer, which in turn was displaced in the Roman era with durum wheat. Millet is millet, it is a cereal grain native to Africa and Asia. Millet does have the advantage of growing in arid regions and has an exceptionally high protein level of 16-22% (bread flour comes in at 10-15%). On a world scale, millet is grown about 1/20 as much as wheat then, mostly as fodder but when consumed by humans, it is usually the base of a substance porridge. And to a lesser extent, millet is used to make breads and a beer. As a subgenre of brew; millet beers are moving from the equatorial regions to the western world due to a never before experienced outbreak of celiac disease that seems to be unique to this generation of affluent, young adult westerners. Thus creating a need to supply those who suffer with a gluten-free beer.
More than millet, farro is most like is a fellow member of the wheat family Triticum Spelta. Spelt is a little closer to bread flour than emmer but all the wheat cousins are easy to confuse, they look alike, they are prepared in many of the same ways and they grow on both sides of the Alps. On the North side, the Germans call spelt, dinkel. In Italy, spelt is called Farro Grande but it is understood on a cultural level that it isn’t really farro – much like native French speakers intuitively understand masculine and feminine forms, this just is, no explanation.
Farro, on left, remains chewy after an extended and necessary soaking and prolonged cooking. Some might actually compare the texture and technique of cooking farro to risotto, except for the lack of ris (More about this in the next post). It would be more accurate to call it porridge. Farro, goes well with poultry or vegetables, it is served a lot with beans and greens as a hearty stew - with more fiber than a prune stuffed with metamucil. Farro is a good change-of-pace away from the rice, potato, noodle starch option. Or in soups or salad – not in the green salad type of way and it pains me to say this, like tabbouleh. The problem - farro, like all things Italian, is expensive. As a food, it doesn’t pack a $10 a pound wallop, especially compared to $1.50 wheat berries, spelt, barley or kasha – all of which add earthy tones to any meal, only cheaper.
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