Barley is an historic grain similar to quinoa and just a little extra acquainted to many house cooks, as probably the most common grain crops on the earth. Whereas barley does have a really comparable taste profile to quinoa, it’s extra on the chewy aspect versus fluffy. Moreover, barley can be utilized in dishes that want just a little little bit of thickening.
Barley is extra suited to recipes that require an extended cook dinner time. It cooks a lot slower than quinoa, taking as much as an hour versus the 20-ish minutes that quinoa will cook dinner in. As such, barley is common in soups or stews, so it may very well be an appropriate quinoa substitute in the event you’re making a quinoa-based soup.
Barley does include gluten, so will not be an appropriate quinoa alternative for these seeking to observe a gluten-free weight loss program. Alongside those self same strains, barley doesn’t include as a lot protein as quinoa, although it’s a good supply of minerals, important acids, and vitamin B1.
