TidBits Of Info

An ancient grain, farro enjoys a comeback
By L. PIERCE CARSON, Register Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

One of the first grains cultivated by man, farro is the ancestor of modern-day wheat.

Also known as emmer, farro sustained the Roman legions as they conquered Europe.

Emmer - which farmers maintain is true farro - was a wholesome daily staple of the ancient Egyptians and has been grown for millennia in the Middle East and North Africa.

This non-genetically modified ancient grain belongs to the wheat family. Originating 7,000 years ago, emmer gave rise to all durum wheat, even Kamut, or khorasan wheat, which it predates by over 4,000 years. Its younger cousin by about 2,000 years, spelt, which is a soft wheat, often masquerades as true farro.

After Julius Caesar?s invasion of Egypt in 30 B.C., farro found a home in Italy, the only country today where it is cultivated on a large scale. The nutritious grain became a staple at every level of Roman society, sustaining the Roman legions and even giving rise to the Italian word for flour ? farina.

Delicious and high in protein, farro nonetheless saw its place at the table usurped in modern times by higher-yield, easily harvested wheat, such as that found in breads, pastas and cereals today.

In recent years, however, farro has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity among gourmets and the health conscious, who sing the grain?s praises for its high nutritional value, and adore the hearty, flavorful taste of this original gourmet health food.

The Pharaoh's wheat, farro is a cereal grain in which, unlike wheat, the husk adheres to the grain, just as in barley and oats. Its fiber content therefore is high and so are nutrients such as vitamin E and protein. When combined with legumes, as in many Italian recipes, farro forms a complete protein source.

Like various other grains, farro requires overnight soaking before incorporating into your favorite recipe. Whole-grain farro is excellent in soups and stews or mixed with fresh vegetables to make a cold salad.

Whether consumed in grain form, as pasta, or used in other recipes that incorporate flour ground from the grain, farro has a satisfying chewy texture and dark, nutty flavor. Farro pasta is so exceptional, many Italians prefer it to regular whole wheat pasta.

Menu dedicated to farro

This hearty, flavorful and nutritious grain is showing up with increasing regularity on restaurant menus in some select cities.

The other night we tucked into farro "risotto" with a hearty mushroom stock and Parmesan cookie, offered as part of Meadowood chef Joseph Humphreys tasting menu.

At Ubuntu, downtown Napa yoga palace and temple to all things vegetarian, chef Jeremy Fox is serving up farro with chickpea pesto, complemented by an eggplant, caperberry and olive salsa.

Leave it to the Italians, however, to come up with the ultimate haven for farro. Lea Luzi not only owns and operates a countryside bed and breakfast (the Italians call them agriturismo) in the rolling hills of Marche less than an hour from the Adriatic, the dynamic entrepreneur also plays host to diners at her farroteca.

Farroteca Monterosso is located at San Lorenzo in Campo, a bucolic way stop among the hill villages and hamlets near Sassoferrato, the birthplace of Napa Valley wine icon Robert Mondovi's parents.

It is here as well that Luzi presides over acres and acres (or in Italy's measurement, hectares) of fields of this important ancient grain.

Farro would probably still be an extremely local specialty had the farmers of France's Haute Savoie not begun to supply it to elegant restaurants that used it in hearty vegetable soups and other tasty dishes. Their success sparked renewed interest in farro among chefs and diners alike, and now the grain is enjoying a resurgence in popularity in France and elsewhere, as well as in Italy.

Luzi's company, Monterosso, mills it and turns it into several types of organic pasta, from traditional spaghetti to quill-shaped pennette, from curled riccioli to pasta shells called conchigliette. Of course, the company also markets farro and the flour, or farina, made from it.

Monterosso products are just coming onto the market in the United States. They are not available as yet in wine country, but, once you've met Lea Luzi you'll know it won't be long before she'll be cornering the market on farro product distribution in this country.

Over a recent dinner at the farroteca, Luzi introduced us to a wide variety of dishes prepared with farro, ranging from arancini (traditional rice balls prepared here with farro instead) to addictive flatbread, from salad to polenta, pasta to dessert tart.

She also talked about this ancient grain and how it thrives in all types of soil, "even the poorest, driest and stoniest, and endures rigid winters and unfortunate seasons."

"Its leafy mass spontaneously repels all infecting grasses and is resistant to all illnesses." It's a hardy foodstuff, she added.

Coming into its own

The ebullient businesswoman noted how people around the world are more and more health conscious, and are including items in their diet that promote a healthy lifestyle. Farro, she said, is among those few foods that are not just palatable but also healthy and nutritious.

She urged consumers to make sure they purchase farro, not spelt, when they go to the market. "Make certain you are getting Triticum dicoccum - farro's Latin name - which must be soaked before it can be cooked. Cooked farro has a firm chewy texture, while spelt softens and can become mushy."

Before you can use it, you have to prepare farro, Luzi noted. Wash it well, pick out any impurities and soak it for at least eight hours. It will keep in this soaked state in the refrigerator for a few days. Come time to cook it, either add it to a soup or boil it by itself - for two hours in a normal pot or one hour in a pressure cooker. Halve these times if you are using cracked farro.

"One thing that you should keep in mind is that farro will continue to absorb liquid and soften once it is done, so you should let it sit for a while if you can," advised sunny farroteca chef Isabella Pascucci.

The informative chef said another way to cook farro for minestrone is to set it to boil directly in abundant vegetable broth for a couple of hours, then let it rest and puff up for at least eight hours before stirring it into the soup pot. The farro will absorb lots of vegetable flavor, giving it added taste in whatever dish you have chosen.

We have included a few farro recipes from Monterosso. Photos and information about Monterosso farro can be found at www.farrotecamonterosso.it  But you'd best have an Italian translator looking over your shoulder.

You can find farro, pasta made from farro and farro farina at a number of online food purveyors, even on Amazon.com. Locally, packages of farro can be purchased at Sunshine Market and Dean & DeLuca, both in St. Helena.

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