Barley
Hordeum vulgare · Grain
Top 10 pairings
One of the oldest cereal grains, barley is chewy, nutty and mildly sweet and thickens soups and stews. Above all it is the grain of malt, the soul of beer and whisky. Pearl barley is polished and cooks faster than hulled.
Picking a good onedrag
Sound dry grain, faintly sweet and nuttyRancid crayon, or webbed and holed
Pantry standardEveryday bestUse in Scotch broth, beef-and-barley soup or lamb stew. Coeliacs must avoid its gluten.
Smell at the open bagAlmost nothing, dry and dusty
Whole grain or milledPearl: germ gone, keeps longest
The grains themselvesA few split grains, some chaff
A handful through your fingersPale flour dust from pearling