Hulled Barley

Hulled barley makes for an inexpensive, filling, and tasty option to add to meals. Once cooked, barley offers a chewy texture and pasta-like consistency due to its gluten content. Its preparation is similar to cooking rice (e.g. 2 parts water or other cooking liquid like stock to 1 part grain) but cooking time may take longer, typically between 50-60 minutes.Some believe that it is also helpful to soak hulled barley overnight to soften the grains first (we will be posting an article about soaking grains).

Hulled barley has a nutty flavor and is rich in vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Although people don’t cook barley often anymore, it is very healthy and versatile. In less economically developed regions of Asia and Africa, barley is still used to make bread, while in Europe it is primarily used as animal fodder and for producing beer.

Like many other grains, barley comes in both hulled as well as pearled varieties. However, only the hulled version is considered a true whole grain. With hulled barley, only the outermost inedible shell is removed from each grain. The pearled variety is polished as well which removes the bran layer and often even some of the inner endosperm layer as well. This practice makes pearled barley less nutritious than its hulled counterpart.