Buckwheat

A cereal plant originating from the orient its triangular shaped seeds resemble beechnuts of a plant related to rhubarb. It is also known as Saracen corn. It can be bought as grains roasted or unroasted, or as a milled flour. Roasted buckwheat can be boiled for 10 minutes and served in place of rice, traditionally with Bortsch or Stroganov. The flour is used in pancakes or galettes, and gives a fragrant nuttiness to the mixture.