RECIPES

A wonderful addition to any summer meal, wheat berries salad is a healthy, filling, cheap and easy recipe. As a bonus, you can follow your creativity by adding more and/or different ingredients.

Among the rich variety of meal style salads in the Italian tradition, the wheat salad (together with farro) is one of my favorites. It is way more nutritious than the white rice salad or pasta salad – a must in every Italian summer recipe book; it keeps well for a day or two in the fridge, has a bite and crunchiness like no other. Wheat berries are rich in fiber, vitamin B, minerals, and antioxidants. Their high carbohydrate content is balanced by the fiber content. They are beneficial to the digestive system and give a sense of satiety. In a few words, they are the perfect addition to your recipe collection.

The wheat I use in this recipe is pelted, which means that the outer husk or hull has been removed, and in the process of doing so some of the bran is wasted. There is a bit of a loss of nutrients doing so, but the good side is that it is faster to cook and easier to digest. It still retains its nutty flavor and chewy texture. Of course, you can also use whole wheat for added nutritional value, just remember to adapt the cooking time.

Pelted wheat berries can be pre-soaked, if you prefer a softer texture. For me, the interesting part is exactly that, that specific chewy bite, so I do not soak them. If you use whole wheat berries, on the contrary, you must soak them at least overnight or longer.

Combining the berries with other summer stars like tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, gives you a perfect, nutritious meal, that gets even better as all the flavors come together.