Bulgur

Bulgur (also bulgar, or burghul) is a godsend for busy cooks. You could call it the perfect ancient fast food—it transforms slowcooking whole wheat into a quick everyday staple. In a traditional technique used for centuries, bulgur is made by first boiling wheat, and then drying, cracking, and sorting it by size. The outer layers of the bran are removed—still, bulgur retains a considerable amount of fiber, more than quinoa, oats, or corn.

This traditional convenience food is vital to many cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, including those of Armenia, Turkey, Greece, Syria, and Iraq. For its versatility and countless preparations, some refer to it as Middle Eastern pasta. Bulgur has an appealing mild wheat flavor and pleasing texture. One of its best-known uses is in tabouli, the famous Middle Eastern salad, made with lots of parsley, mint, and tomatoes. It is also added to soups and meatballs, and cooked into nutritious pilafs.

Bulgur is most often made from durum wheat, but other kinds of wheat can be used as well. Bulgur is often confused with cracked wheat, which is exactly what the name says: cracked but uncooked wheat.

When You Shop:
Bulgur comes in fine, medium, and coarse varieties. All kinds are great for a speedy dinner, as precooked bulgur can be on the table in 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the grain. Some cooks just reconstitute bulgur by soaking it in cold or hot water for as little as 10 minutes, or up to 1 hour. I prefer the chew of coarse or medium-coarse bulgur, but fine varieties are an interesting starting point. Middle Eastern stores often sell bulgur in packages that label the different grinds with numbers from 1 to 4, fine to coarse. Now, here is the puzzling part: You might have a batch of bulgur that a company identifies as “fine to medium,” but whose kernels resemble a “coarse” grain to a T. In addition, those two kernels, which look absolutely alike, might cook up differently, in anything between 10 to 25 minutes. What is a cook to do? It’s easy. Just check your grain after 10 minutes or so. If it is still slightly chewy, add a little more water to your pot if needed, and cook it a bit longer. Done!

This Tip was published in 'Ancient Grains for Moden Meals "Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries, & More" by MARIA SPECK'