How's was that spelt again?

March 27, 2008 9:55 AM

I want to cook with spelt berries. Do you cook with spelt berries? Please tell me why, and how to do it awesomely.

Do you have a secret spelt recipe? Something that not only can be made with spelt, but should be made with spelt? Whole grain spelt, not spelt flour, that is. My grocery store sells it in the bulk aisle, so folks must be doing something with it, but cookbooks just seem to say "use in lieu of whole wheat, rye or barley berries." Is there anything that's best when made with spelt? I've made some piilafs, and they were good, but they didn't seem uniquely suited to spelt. I'm an omnivore, so meaty, vegetarian and vegan recipes are equally welcome. Hit me with your speltiest, please.

posted by mumkin to food & drink (3 answers total)

I made this recipe and substituted spelt and it was good.

See also this spelt-specific riff on mac & cheese.
posted by donovan at 11:40 AM on March 27, 2008

If spelt berries can be substituted in place of buckwheat then try this salad... I prepared it as directed and it rocked the casbah

Buckwheat Salad with Mushrooms, Fennel and Parsley Oil
posted by Operation Afterglow at 6:21 PM on March 27, 2008

Ach. Well, in light of this MeTa thread I'll follow up.

Thank you both for the answers, though neither were quite what I was looking for. As I said, I've substituted spelt for other grains with success, but I was hoping for "the unique properties of spelt make it the only grain for this application" type recipes. That may be an unrealistic expectation, though, as the more I read about spelt, the more it seems to just be "the low-gluten alternative to wheat et al."

I'm definitely going to try that buckwheat salad, Operation Afterglow, particularly since I made some varnishkes just recently and found it to be meh. Probably won't substitute, though, at least not the first time.

If anyone happens to search for "spelt" in AskMe before March 27, 2009 and finds this thread, your spelt-related input will continue to be welcome. Thanks!
posted by mumkin at 12:57 PM on May 3, 2008