Buckwheat is a psuedocereal (like quinoa) whose edible, protein-rich seeds are used as a grain. A member of the family, Polygonaceae, buckwheat's closest relatives in the grocery store are rhubarb and sorrel.

Buckwheat is an ancient food plant, having been cultivated in Asia as long as 8,000 years ago, and spreading generally throughout Europe and eastward to Japan by 4,000 B.C. During recorded history buckwheat has often been considered a staple, subsistence crop, grown preferentially in regions or periods in which wheat or rice harvests are poor. Its roots in local cuisines are deep: In Eastern Europe, buckwheat groats are a traditional peasant dish that found its way to America via Yiddish cooking. In Japan and Korea, buckwheat flour is a traditional basis for noodles, still used despite the greater modern availability of wheat flour. Buckwheat porridge is also common throughout the world, although now less common in America than buckwheat pancakes.

• Alternative Field Crops Manual: Buckwheat

• Purdue University: Buckwheat

• Oprah.com: Superfood No. 5: Buckwheat

• WHFoods: Nutrients in Buckwheat

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