A Grain of Truth Trivia Quiz

Answer: Buckwheat

Kev tells the class that buckwheat is worth including in the diet for a number of reasons. From strengthening the walls of the capillary vessels, it has also been shown to relieve some symptoms of Type 2 diabetes. For people who are allergic to wheat or gluten it makes a good wheat substitute, because it's actually related to rhubarb and sorrel and therefore a fruit seed.

Answer: Tabouli

Kev is full of dad jokes, and he loves taBOOli. He hands out a recipe for Mediterranean tabouli salad which he tells us is extremely high in Vitamins K and C and, of course, in fibre. It also provides significant quantities of iron, partly because of the inclusion of parsley in the recipe.

Answer: True

Kev says he'd be surprised if barley in beer lowers cholesterol the way is does when it's used as a whole grain, and recommends that the class not count on beer as a dietary aid. According the %DV scale (percentage of Daily Value) where more than 15% is considered good, barley has a fibre measure of 42%. It's also high in trace elements.

He hands out the recipe for his mum's vegetable soup, which I can hardly wait to try!

Answer: Scotland

Kev the Chef tells us that Meal (or Oatmeal Monday) was observed on the second Monday of February by most Scottish universities. In older times it was held more often, as much as monthly, as students had to travel long distances to get home from the university cities. Because of the short growing season of oats, coupled with its tolerance of rain and lower summer heat requirement, it was ideally suited to the climate of Scotland, but had to be gathered when it was ready for harvest.

Answer: Goosefoot

"2013 was recognised as 'The International Year of the Quinoa'" says Kev. "It contains certain antioxidant phytonutrients and has anti-inflammatory properties". He goes on to tell us it's also a source of heart-healthy fats. Due to its vigorous nature and abundance of nutrients, it is hoped that quinoa will become a significant means of securing worldwide food stockpiles.

Answer: Brown rice

Only the outermost layer, the hull, of the rice kernel is removed in producing brown rice. "When polishing rice to produce white rice, it has been ascertained that nearly 70% of the vitamin B3, more that 80% of the vitamin B1 and vitamin B6, much of the trace elements, most of the iron, and all of the dietary fibre and essential fatty acids are removed," says Kev. "While it's chewier and the taste is slightly different, I encourage you to include whole grain brown rice in your diet!"

Answer: Ethiopia

Kev the Chef tells us that tsebhi is also endemic to Eritrea. Teff, the grain used to make the injera served with tsebhi, is also called Williams lovegrass or annual bunch grass. The size of its grain is tiny. It provides protein and calcium and is high in dietary fibre and iron. Because it cooks quickly, it was attractive to ancient cultures as it consumed less in valuable wood or other sources of fuel (like dried animal dung).

Answer: It is harvested while still unripe

Kev tells us that after frekek, or frikeh, is harvested and the chaff removed, it's roasted and threshed, after which it is cracked. At this point it's ready to use and is similar in nature and appearance to green bulgar.

One ancient recipe, found in a 13th century Mesopotamian cook book, indicates meat is sautéed then braised with water, salt, and cinnamon bark. Ground coriander and frekah are added, then the whole is cooked, with the final addition of cumin, cinnamon, and fresh animal fat, usually lamb.

Answer: Corn

"Corn is a great whole grain," says Kev. "It can be ground to make polenta, traditional to cultures such as Italian and Greek, and is used to make a nutritional breakfast porridge in the Southern United States and elsewhere. Of course, nothing beats fresh corn-on-the-cob cooked with a dob of butter in a bit of foil and thrown into the coals of a campfire for 10 or so minutes. Now I'm hungry!"

Answer: Birds

"It's a pity millet is not included more in everyday diets," Kev tells us. "It has significant quantities of trace elements such as copper, phosphorus, manganese, and magnesium. It has been shown that magnesium helps reduce the severity of asthma attacks and the frequency of migraines. Hydrated magnesium sulfate, (MgSO4·7 H2O) is better known as Epsom salts.

"Also," he goes on, "Millet, being a whole grain, and other foods low in saturated fats and cholesterol and that contain at least 51% whole grains can claim to lower the risk of heart disease and certain cancers."