Thinking about the main ingredients of pizza and of other baked goods, the classic wheat flour springs into mind for its optimal yield. Actually, there are other kinds of cereal with better nutritional values than traditional wheat, that behave well in the preparation of tasty and nutritious baked goods.
Let’s take the example of Khorasan wheat flour, a cereal with ancient origins, already grown in Egypt 6000 years ago. The common use has identified the Khorasan wheat with the Kamut© brand, which is actually the trademark of the American company Kamut International, producer of a specific kind of Khorasan wheat.
Kamut©, nowadays spread all over our country, is mainly grown in Canada and USA. Being a cereal that hasn’t gone through the process of hybridization, it is very robust and you don’t need pesticides to get a good yield. For this reason, it is suitable for organic cultivations.
Massimo Angelini (from the Consorzio La Quarantina in Genoa) states in an article that we do have some types of Khorasan, “not to mention that a type of Khorasan was (and still is, marginally) grown among Lucania, Sannio and Abruzzo: it’s the Saragolla, not to be confused with an improved type of wheat obtained by grafting and trademarked in 2004 by the Società Produttori Sementi of Bologna”.
The nutritional values of Kamut© are numerous and among the most important it has:
The Kamut© wheat, as all vegetable flours, is cholesterol free and is highly digestible because it is a hard wheat, not refined. However it contains gluten, so it is not suitable for coeliac people.
Something else used for preparing baked goods and rich with beneficial properties is buckwheat. Often called a cereal, because of the way it’s used in the kitchen, it is not a cereal, as it is not part of the grass family. Originally from the mountainous areas of Asia (and introduced in Europe in the late Middle Ages), it is a grassy plant part of the polygonaceae family, and it’s grown in Italy mainly in Sudtirol and Valtellina.
Rich in minerals such as iron, zinc and selenium, buckwheat contains proteins as well, carrying essential amino acids important for the correct operation of the body. For example, lysine, that has an important role for the physiological reactions that contribute to the production of antibodies, enzymes and growth hormones. Moreover, it carries antioxidants such as tannin and rutin. The latter helps the blood microcirculation because it toughens the capillary vessels.
Totally gluten free and with a low GI, buckwheat is a fundamental ingredient for coeliac people (in case of gluten intolerance) and diabetic people (for its low GI). Regardless of health problems, buckwheat still remains an ingredient with precious nutritional values for all those who want to eat well.
In our pizzeria, we use different kinds of flour, with the goal to satisfy all nutritional and taste needs.
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