Ancient Rediscoveries

Ancient grains, such as quinoa, Kamut, quinoa, barley and farro, also are showing up in greater numbers on menus. In NRA’s 2009 Chef Survey, the 1,600 chefs surveyed tapped quinoa as the No. 1 trend in the “Sides/Starches” category, and ancient grains came in at No. 3 in the “Other Food Items/Ingredients” category.

In fine dining, notes Cynthia Harriman, director of food and nutrition strategies, Whole Grains Council, quinoa is “incredibly hot right now.”

Quinoa is particularly popular, notes Mike Holleman, corporate chef, Indian Harvest, and is available in greater quantities than the other heirloom grains. “Quinoas is, by far, the hottest grain out there,” he says. “We’re seeing the red, but we actually have significant amounts of black now, and we’ve added the white quinoas.”

Specialty and whole grains are gaining in popularity in foodservice, notes Holleman. “Absolutely, there’s no question in my mind,” he says. “We’ve seen a huge surge in increased awareness and requests for unique whole grains and specialty grains.” He attributes the increased popularity of ancient grains to the American diner’s increased sophistication. “Americans are becoming much more food-savvy, and they’re actually willing to try things that they weren’t willing to try years ago. It’s enabling us as chefs to try some of those great, unique ingredients that we probably couldn’t menu 10 years ago.”

The popularity of specialty grains is starting to trickle down from high-end restaurants, although Holleman cautions that there isn’t sufficient quantity for the largest chains yet to offer ancient grains. “The trickle down is starting to happen,” he says. “It’s certainly a slow process.”

Other grains on the horizon include “a black barley that is very high protein and has a brilliant sheen to it when it’s cooked, a very stark-black color, and it has a nice pop to it, a nice texture,” says Holleman. He also says farro is adding whole-grain appeal to risottos. “Farro has a unique, creamy quality to it unlike a lot of the whole grains that are out there.”

Kate Harrigan is a freelance writer and editor specializing in food and travel. She lives in Massachusetts.