Buckwheat / The global spread of food

Buckwheat is a dark-coloured grain that arrived in Europe via Russia in the late Middle Ages. It was used as a supplementary harvest crop alongside other basic cereals. This undemanding plant grows quickly and easily, and established itself particularly well in regions with poor soil. It is rarely grown nowadays. Buckwheat cannot be used to make bread, but is used to prepare porridge and polenta, and especially for pancakes and flatbread.