Back in January, fresh from the holiday and full of expectations for the year ahead, I wrote a blog predicting trends in the whole grain world for the upcoming year. I was ever so hopeful for amaranth and buckwheat, sorghum and teff and the rest of these ancient grains’ counterparts. This week I decided to challenge myself by revisiting this blog and seeing just how accurate my whole grain guru predictions were; are ancient grains the new “it” food?

At the Whole Grains Council, we are very committed to staying up to date with what everyone is eating, whether it’s plain grains, whole grain cricket flour bars (yes, it’s a real thing!), fizzy granola bars, or the perfect millennial snack. Well today I am very pleased to say that ancient grains are one of the most popular and fastest growing trends. Why, you ask? Let’s talk about ancient grains.

People love a good story, and they really love to eat things that have a good story, and ancient grains? Well they’ve got a story that goes back…a long time – the last thing Otzi the 5,200 year old mummy ate was einkorn, a deliciously nutty ancient wheat that is making a comeback. In general, ancient grains are those that have come down to us largely intact – our ancestors ate grains in a similar form hundreds or even thousands of years ago! – as opposed to grains that have been extensively modified and cross-bred more recently. Consumers not only want to know where their food comes from, they also want it to have an exotic story that makes eating an adventure.

Many ancient grains are also gluten free. As gluten free products pop up in grocery stores around the world, there is a strong interest in finding foods to accommodate celiacs. Ancient grains such as quinoa, amaranth, teff, millet and sorghum are gluten free although others such as spelt, faro, Kamut®, and einkorn are not. Ancient grains open up a whole new world of possibilities for those with gluten sensitivity who will be delighted to learn that gluten free doesn’t mean grain free.

Now that ancient grains have gained themselves such a stellar reputation, they’re not just for salads anymore. They’re popping up in flours for baking (ancient grain pizza crust, anyone?), snacks, chips, breakfast cereals, and breads, just to name a few. We love them SO much at the Whole Grains Council – what can we say, we like to be trendy – that we’ve been compiling ancient grain recipes for you:

Oat and Amaranth – Crusted Ham and Cheese Quiche        
Farro and Winter Vegetables
Millet Burgers with Olives, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Pecorico
Sorghum Pancakes
Teff Crepes with Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms
Ancient Grains Bread
Molasses Sorghum Cookies
Buckwheat Pumpkin Muffins with Molasses-Cinnamon Glaze

(Mallory)