Spelt
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPELT
Spelt is the grain lowest in phytic acids, easily digestible, and if it is harvested by low yield traditional methods of old, it can be carried on long trips and still provides nourishment. Spelt was the food the Roman armies carried with them to sustain them on their long tours. It is a grain with different amino acids than those contained in wheat. It is these amino acids that gives spelt its maximum assimilation. I think spelt is a wonderful grain for all humans, ((unless one has celiac disease then corn, rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, lentils and amaranth preferable.)
The mystic Hildegard von Bingen published her works on spelt, some 800 years ago. At that time it was unheard of for a woman to be allowed to publish or to be a learned person. It is a great accomplishment that we today have the availability of Hildegard’s published works.
According to Hildegard von Bingen, (St. Hildegard)–
“The spelt is the best of grains. It is rich and nourishing and milder than other grain. It produces a strong body and healthy blood to those who eat it and it makes the spirit of man light and cheerful. If someone is ill boil some spelt, mix it with egg and this will heal him like a fine ointment.”
She claimed it gladden the heart.
HISTORY OF SPELT Native to southern Europe, where it’s been used for millenniums, spelt is an ancient Cereal Grain that has a mellow nutty flavor. I have noticed if I take the spelt grain and put it in the food processor to roughly grind it, then soak it and cook it, its taste resembles a bowl of warmed chopped nuts. Sometimes I add a date to it for a little sweetness. The easily digestible spelt has a slightly higher protein content than wheat and can be tolerated by those with wheat allergies. Spelt flour, available in health-food stores, can be substituted for wheat flour cup for cup in baked goods. Spelt has a fragile gluten content, making it easier to digest, especially by those who are wheat-sensitive. When something is difficult to digest, it begins to compromise the immune system. Because of spelt’s incredibly hard hull, there is no need for pesticides, as insects cannot penetrate it. In Germany, the name for spelt is “dinkel” and was the basis for the names of such towns as Dinkelsbühl, Dinkelhausen, and Dinkelrode. In fact, the town of Dinkelsbühl has a museum devoted entirely to the grain; and, in the city park, there is a life-size monument of a farmer holding a sheath of spelt.
Interestingly, more and more consumers are finding that they may be suffering from some type of wheat sensitivity. This sensitivity ranges from a severe allergic reaction to the gluten in wheat to more subtle symptoms such as lethargy or a bloated feeling coupled with weight gain. New diets based on blood types (see Eating Right 4 Your Type) recommend that type O people avoid all modern wheat and eat only Spelt. In theory, it is the modern makeup of t wheat and its history of breeding and hybridization to improve yield and baking characteristics that has contributed to the creation of a gluten that is no longer friendly to some people’s bodies. Because of the different balance of the amino acids, Spelt is readily digestible by many people who have stopped eating wheat. However spelt does contain gluten and may cause symptoms with Celiac Disease.
