Barley for Food and Health: Science, Technology, and Products

ASIA 221
Combine the barley and water, bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and
simmer overnight or 8 hours. (A crockpot may also be used.) Strain the barley
grains from the water. Sugar, another sweetener, or lemon juice may be added to
the barley water. Depending on the variety of barley used, the barley water may
have a slight color, sometimes pink, due to natural pigments in the grain. If hulless
barley is used, the cooked grain may be used in various foods. For therapeutic
purposes, such as intestinal disorders or mouth sores during chemotherapy, the
barley water may be sipped continually throughout the day.
ASIA
Barley Mixed-Bob
Bob in Korean generally means cooked rice. Accordingly, barley bob or mixedbob
refers to a cooked mixture of rice and precooked barley. The barley was
precooked because it took longer to cook to tenderness. The word bori means
barley, and 100% cooked barley is called kkong bori bob (B.-K. Baik, personal
communication). Historically, barley was eaten in Korea in times of small crop
yields, and by people of lower economic means. Early in the twentieth century,
the Korean government required that barley be mixed with rice, however, as
rice production increased, the regular consumption of barley was abandoned
(Ju 1979). Recently, there has been a renewal of interest in the barley–rice
combination, for health reasons.
Equal parts of pre-partially cooked pearled barley and white rice are cooked
in water until tender. Salt is used in the cooking water as desired. [Authors’ note:
Quick barley (Quaker Company) and white rice require about the same time for
cooking, so may be combined for cooking. Alternatively, raw pearled barley and
brown rice may be cooked together.]
In many Asian cultures, white polished rice is preferred, and the current practice
is to pearl barley to a degree where the grain appears almost white, then to
split the grains. The resulting half-grains are very similar to the white rice, and
are more acceptable to consumers, whether eaten as is or mixed with white rice.
In addition, the cooking times are similar, eliminating the need for precooking
the barley.
Tsampa
Tsampa is a traditional Tibetan dish, which is still an important part of the modern
diet, associated with celebrations and rituals. The mystique of Tibet for travelers
includes the proper method of eating tsampa, and has been described and pictured
on various Internet Web sites, such as http://www.tsampa.org/Tibetan/theory
and practice. Chapter 1 provides more information on tsampa preparation.
Hulless barley grains are oven-roasted at about 325 ◦ F until slightly brown.
After cooling, the grain is ground in a grain mill into flour, which can be stored
for future use. The tsampa flour is traditionally combined with hot, black butter