Grünkern ( which means green grain) is a special kind of spelt. The grains are harvested before they are ripe (= green) and then dried. They have a smoky taste and are used mainly in soups, if they are used at all. Grünkern was invented around 1660 when there was a big famine in Germany. People needed food and harvested the grains before they were ripe. Today Grünkern is still produced but people rarely use it. It is sold in organic food stores in the form of whole grains, groats and sometimes flour. It takes around an hour to cook the grains, but if they are soaked over night the cooking time can be reduced a lot. Grünkern has a very specific taste but can be substituted by any other kind of grain, especially wheat or spelt.
Roasted eggplant and peppers with Grünkern (serves one)
50g Grünkern (around 2 oz.) raw, then cooked acording to package instructions
1 small eggplant (300g)
1 sweet yellow pepper
1 sweet green pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 200°C /400°F
Cut eggplant into cubes and peppers into stripes.
In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, lime juice, thyme, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Add vegetables and toss until the veggies are coated.
Roast for about 20 minutes until soft.
Mix with Grünkern and serve as salad.
gesundheit! just kidding. I like that word, Grünkern. and I like your recipe and dish too.
That looks magnificent! I like the story behind Grünkern, and the dish you made with it. I hope to try it some day!
Oo, thanks for the info behind Grünkern. Interesting! That looks like a delicious dish and not too complicated to make. Yum!
Grunkern looks so much like wheat.
So many healthy grians for vegans to explore!
Thank you for sharing this Grünkern recipe!! I had never heard of Grünkern before, but wow you definitely have made me want to try it now! :0)
Well, I’ve never had Grünkern, but would definitely like to try it as you’ve prepared here. It looks delicious. I love eggplant and peppers…
I never heard of grünkern…looks delicious. It’s such a huge world. So much food, so little time.
[...] this casserole I used a German speciality grain, called Grünkern. Grünkern is made from unripe spelt berries which are smoked. This grain has a very unique, [...]
Sorry but I care to disagree. I don’t think Grünkern could or should be substituted with any other kind of grain since it has a very particular taste, which – in my humble opinion – is absolutely awesome. I recently had it shredded in a bread I made – delish! So, keep on posting recipes with this stuff!
I posted about grünkern the other day, and someone sent me to your website! Yea for Vegan MoFo! My boss’s partner is a flight attendant and brought me this back from Germany, but I never really figured out what to do without besides treat it like rice. Which has been awesome, but still. It doesn’t help that I can’t read the packaging. I never thought of grinding it for flour. I’ve just been cooking it like 2:1 water to grünkern, like rice. The other day I did it Mexican-style, with black beans, [vegan] chorizo, tomatoes, avocado, and lime.
Mexican style sounds perfect for Grünkern! I have to try that! Treating it like rice is the way to go, I also prepare it like that pretty often.