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Linseed The tiny seed of the flax plant, also known as flax seed. Primarily used to produce oil, it is sometimes used as a food grain, sprinkled over dishes and mixed into baked goods, sprouted, or ground into flour, which becomes mucilaginous (glutinous) when wet. Rich in nutrients, especially omega-3 fatty acids, linseed is consumed more for its health benefits than its mildly nutty taste. Its high oil content means it goes rancid quickly.
Millet The general name applied to many similar but distinct cereals, most of which have alternative names. All are very small grains, with a high protein content, but otherwise vary in their quality and flavour. They are consumed whole, or ground into a coarse flour, typically as porridge or flatbreads. Able to grow in poor conditions, millet is a staple in hot, dry regions but not much eaten in western countries.
Other flours and Starches
Soya flour A fine creamy-yellow powder ground from grits of hulled soya beans from which the oil and soluble carbohydrates have been removed. Although it contains no gluten-forming proteins, it is rich in other forms of protein and fat and low in carbohydrates, and is usually mixed with other flours to improve the protein, volume and keeping-quality of baked goods. Food manufacturers exploit its binding qualities. In Japan, where it is called kinako, it is used for confectionery.
Potato flour A very fine, brilliant white powder made by grinding either steamed, dried potatoes or the starch extracted from pulverized potatoes by a washing process. Also called potato starch, farina and, in France, fécule, it is used as a thickener, producing clear, light sauces. Being more effective than cereal starches, less is required. It is used in baked goods for its gluten-free status and for the moist crumb it gives.
Urad A creamy-white powder ground from hulled urad or urd black lentils, also known as black gram. It is the basis of the traditional idlis (dumplings) and dosas (pancakes) of South India and is also used to make poppadoms.
Spelt An ancient, non-hybridized cereal grain related to common wheat, also known by the German name of dinkel. It contains more protein, and thus forms more gluten, than common wheat, yet seems to be better tolerated by those with gluten allergies. Ground into flour, spelt can be substituted for common wheat flour and behaves like whole-wheat flour, imparting a distinct nutty, wheaty flavour.
Arrowroot A fine white powder extracted from the rhizomes of the tropical maranta plant. Containing 80 per cent starch, it is used as a thickener for sauces and glazes. Because it becomes clear when cooked and has no taste, it is considered superior to cornflour. To avoid lumps it should be slaked in cold liquid before cooking. It breaks down if overcooked, causing sauces to separate. Easily digestible, it is a traditional food for invalids
Matzo meal Crumbled matzos, the thin unleavened Jewish Passover bread made according to strict regulations to avoid any fermentation, from wheat flour and water. Available in fine and medium grinds, it is used like breadcrumbs, as a thickener for soups, to bind gefilte fish, for breading foods to be fried, as an ingredient in dumplings (matzo balls or knaidlach) and, soaked and squeezed dry, in cakes and pancakes.
Noodles, Pasta & Flatbreads
Noodles, pasta and flatbreads are essentially doughs made from starch and water, thinly shaped and quickly cooked. The many permutations of these basic features give rise to a huge diversity in all three foods.
‘Noodles’ is a generic term encompassing both the various oriental pastas and certain occidental pastas. The commonality of noodles and pastas is often attributed to them having a single origin. Although the origins are unknown, the theory that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy from China has been discredited; pasta existed in Europe before the 14th century. Noodles are such a simple concept that their discovery by more than one culture is likely.
Asian noodles are categorized by their major ingredient. The diversity of their various starch bases results in very different flavours and textures. In shape they vary between wide and narrow, flat and round, thin and fat, but are always long. Pasta, conversely, is always made from wheat flour or semolina; hard wheat flour, often mixed with eggs, is used for fresh pasta, and the even harder durum wheat semolina preferred for dried, commercial pasta. There are over 300 pasta shapes, which may be generally classified as long, short (which includes soup shapes or ‘pastine’), and filled. Most shapes are named, in Italian, after the object they resemble, their size often further described by diminutives and superlatives. Confusingly, nomenclature is not standard. Particular pastas suit certain styles of sauce. Basically, the sauce should adhere to the pasta, yet not overwhelm it. Both the delicacy of the pasta, relative to the sauce, and its shape must be considered; ribbed (‘rigate’) and hollow shapes trap sauce best.
Flatbreads were the earliest form of bread. Originally primitive pastes crudely baked on a hot surface, they evolved into a multiplicity of breads. Variously made from different grains, tubers and legumes, leavened and unleavened, and baked in ovens and skillets, grilled and fried, they range from parchment thin to relatively thick, brittle to pliable. Their defining characteristic is that they are flat.
Wheat noodles
Soba (buckwheat) noodles Slender noodles, square in cross section, made with buckwheat flour or, more usually, buckwheat and wheat flour, water and salt. Nutty flavoured, soba vary in shades of mushroom brown, the darkest (yabu soba) being made from the whole grain and the palest and most prized (gozen soba) from the kernel. A speciality of northern Japan and Tokyo, soba are typically served cold with a dipping sauce, or hot in soup. Pale green chasoba are flavoured with green tea.
Egg noodles Golden noodles made from a paste of wheat flour, water and egg, extruded into round and flat ribbon shapes of varying widths. The classic fine strands (pictured) may be fresh or dried, while the fatter versions, such as the thick, round Hokkien noodles, are sold fresh and often oiled. Already steamed, egg noodles require little cooking. The all-purpose Chinese noodles, they are also used throughout Asia in soups, and stir fries, enjoyed for their rich flavour and soft texture.
Somen Very fine, creamy-white, straight Japanese noodles made from wheat flour, salt, water and oil, generally sold dried, in even-length bundles. Formed by pulling the dough, somen differ from other Japanese noodles, which are rolled then cut. Somen are a summer food, traditionally served chilled.