[Meg]

I recently tasted the most fantastic wheat berry salad, with golden raisins, pecans, and roasted red peppers in it. I'd love to try and make something similar but know zilch about wheat berries. I think they're whole grain wheat? Anyone have experience or recipes with them?

[Suzanne 3FC]

Yum, that sounds good! I've never cooked with wheat berries, but only know that they are the whole wheat kernel and they take an hour to cook, lol. I'm actually trying to learn more about them right now because we are working on an article on whole grains for the site. I've ordered a few books from amazon to get us started. Please tell me more about your salad Did it have a vinaigrette type dressing, or something creamy?

[Meg]

Suzanne, I have a container of it right here - I bought it at the salad bar at the local grocery store. It had a list of ingredients posted at the salad bar, but not quantities or calories: (this is from memory) wheat berries, toasted pecans, roasted red peppers, golden raisins, olive oil, balsamic vinegar. The dressing tastes like a light vinagrette.

What I like about the salad is the medley of flavors and textures. Wheat berries are chewy - they look kind of like brown rice but are chewier. So in this salad you get sweet raisins, chewy wheat berries, and crunchy pecans.

I looked for the actual wheat berries while I was at the store but didn't find any. I imagine that I'll have to go to a health food store for them. Good stuff -- I'll be interested in any recipes that you try. Need a recipe reviewer?

[sarahyu]

Wheat berries are chewy. I went through a "let's experiment with whole grains" phase when I started Phase 2 of the SBD.
Suzanne is correct, they take about an hour to cook. It's 1 part wheat to 2 parts water. You can find them in health food or organic grocery stores. I'm not sure if Whole Foods Market carries them or not.

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshel...523,78,00.html

Wheat berries: Also called groats, these are whole wheat kernels that have not been milled, polished, or heat treated. Wheat berries are brown and nearly round in appearance; they take over an hour to cook, but the time can be reduced if they are presoaked. Wheat berries have a robust, nutlike flavor that goes well with other hearty foods. They can be used for grain-based main dishes, served as a side dish, or added to soups and yeast-bread doughs.

I got tired of going across town to buy it, bulgur wheat is easier to find in most grocery stores and to cook.

You can do a google search and find many recipes. I made a pilaf type thing and also just ate it as a side dish.

Here are a couple:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show..._23978,00.html

Have fun experimenting.
Sarah