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Good Grain
part of this removal process, the outer layers of
the kernals, which contain most of the grain's
valuable fiber, are also extracted. This is how
commercial flour is made.
To obtain all of the ingredients that are important
to the human body, flour must be freshly milled
and consumed shortly thereafter. Mills that use
grinding stones transform the whole grain into
fine, loose, full-value flour. This is of great im-
portance for the quality of baked goods and
cereal dishes. While natural homogeneous stone
and steel mills gradually become blunt, reducing
their efficacy and thus the quality of the flour they
produce, ceramically bonded corundum stones
constantly sharpen themselves producing high
quality flour.
Cereal flakes can be freshly flattened with a hand-
operated or electrical flaker. In contrast to freshly
flattened flakes, industrially manufactured flakes
treated with steam and flattened under heat, do
not count as 'fresh food'. Self-made flakes on the
other hand, like freshly ground flour, contain the
entire complement of nutrients, vitamins and min-
erals contained in whole grains.
Schematic depiction
of a cereal grain
Pure life energy
Because of its nutrients and active ingredients,
cereal is one of the most valuable foods available
to humans. The cereal grain is made up of a seed
enveloped in a husk. It is important for the health
and vitality of the human body that we consume
the entire grain. The husk – the outer part of the
grain – is rich in fiber and minerals. The seed-
ling (wheat germ) contains vegetable fat of high
quality, polyunsaturated fatty acids and lipo-
soluble vitamins. Finally, the endosperm provides
starch, which the body requires as a source of
energy. Only when all of the components of the
grain are consumed, can the body properly utilize
the energy packed in the grain.
Freshly ground flour decays fairly quickly. In order
to give flour a longer shelf life, the wheat germ is
filtered out of super fine flour after grinding. As
One of the basic foods
For centuries, grain has been a basic element of
nutrition for mankind around the globe. Not too
long ago, he who was wealthy, owned much land
to grow grain and knew how to profitably culti-
vate it and store it without spoilage. Back then,
grain rich in nutrients represented security and life
itself. He who had several sacks of grain in his
pantry did not have to fear the winter. The funda-
mental nature of our relationship with grain can
be seen in the vast variety of pastries and types of
bread that have evolved differently in every coun-
try over the years. Quite often, they are typical of
a certain region.
With the arrival of modern times, our immediate
and vital relationship with grain has changed. In
our kitchen cabinets, there is usually only a bag
of super fine flour which we have bought already
ground. We hardly know how to tell the different
types of grain from one another.
Today, grain is plentifully used in industrially manu-
factured products. However, it is heavily processed
so that only a few of the grain's fine qualities
remain. In these convenience products, many of
the nutrients and vitamins, and much of the fiber
contained in fresh grain are lost. Freshly milled,
whole grain is different. It has a very special flavor
and should not be missing in a gourmet kitchen.
Furthermore, freshly processed grain satisfies our
hunger in a natural way, letting our body know
when it is sufficiently supplied with energy.
Wheat
Rye
Barley
Oat
Seedling
Endosperm
Fruit Husk
and Seed Coat
