🌱Spring Buckwheat Risotto with Green Herbs

Buckwheat cultivation dates back to around the 6th millennium BC, originating in the regions of present-day southwestern China—particularly Yunnan Province—and Tibet. It is believed to have been introduced to Europe by the Saracen and Tatar armies. In the Czech Republic, the earliest archaeological evidence of buckwheat dates to the 12th century.

According to Mattioli’s Herbarium (1596):
“Buckwheat was not known to the old scholars who wrote about herbs; now it is abundant in colour in Bohemia and elsewhere, and forms a common, homely food for the people. In some places, poor people make bread from it, which is quite tasty, though dark in colour, filling, and well-suited for working men.”

Buckwheat is a naturally gluten-free grain with a mild, nutty flavour. It is highly nutritious and rich in rutin, a compound that supports vitamin C absorption and helps maintain healthy blood vessels. Thanks to its properties, it is well-suited for a gluten-free diet.

It is available in various forms, including whole grains, groats, and flour, and is typically categorised into two types based on processing. Buckwheat works well as a savoury side dish—paired with rice, meat, vegetables, or mushrooms—but is equally delicious in sweet recipes such as breakfast porridge or baked goods.

You will need:

1 cup buckwheat groats
1 small zucchini
1 carrot
A handful of young spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil (or sesame oil for a deeper flavour)
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
A few drops of lemon juice
Vegetable broth

Procedure:

Rinse the buckwheat and pour hot water over it. Cover and let it sit for about 15 minutes, then drain if needed. Heat the oil in a pan and briefly sauté the chopped carrot and zucchini until slightly tender.
Add the spinach and cook just until wilted. Stir in the buckwheat and add a splash of vegetable broth to loosen the mixture if needed. Warm everything together gently. Season with lemon juice, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve warm.

Buckwheat nourishes the blood, gently warms the body, and is easy to digest. Fresh green herbs help stimulate liver energy and bring a bright, spring-like freshness to the dish.
Property – Sweet, cool; spleen, stomach and large intestine meridians entered.
Actions – Whet the appetite, soothe the intestines, remove food stagnation and arrest diarrhoea.
Indications – Chronic diarrhoea, food-denying dysentery, burns and scalds, stagnation in the stomach and intestines.

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