Catching Up With Kasha

Bowl of Kasha

If you've never heard of kasha and you're wondering what kasha is, then you're not alone.  Kasha is actually one of Europe's oldest known dishes and it's commonly used as a cereal being composed of buckwheat, rye, wheat, barley, oats, and millet.  It can also be utilized as a hardy and healthy side dish.  If you cook the kasha with some grilled vegetables and some seasonings, then you have a complete well balanced meal.  Translated in the English language, kasha is roasted whole-grain buckwheat or buckwheat oats, but the actual meaning of kasha means porridge.  Kasha is well known in Jewish cuisine as "comfort" or "soul" food and is typically prepared with onions, gravy, and bow tie pasta.  This meal is known as Kasha Varnishkes.  Sometimes kasha is used as an ingredient in other popular Jewish dishes such as knishes and Matzah ball soup.

Kasha Varnishkes

Kasha is impressive nutritionally due to it's high fiber content and high protein content per serving.  For a single one cup serving of kasha there is five grams of fiber (18%) and six grams of protein.    Kasha is also full of B vitamins which is important to vegetarians and vegans because it can be a challenge if you eliminate meat from your diet to get the recommended amount of B vitamins.  Kasha contains an abundant amount of phosphorous, potassium, calcium, and iron.  Similar to quinoa, kasha is a complete protein and is even more of a complete protein compared to the soy bean.  When I say "complete protein" I'm referring to the eight amino essential amino acids in a balanced proportion within a specific grain.  One of the amino acids that kasha contains that a lot of other grains do not have is lysine.  Kasha has a large amount amount of the amino acid lysine which helps produce antibodies that help keep your body's immune system strong and fight off viruses.

You'll Want This Shirt

So the next time you're looking for a side dish or a hardy and nutritiously filling meal, forget the white rice or mashed potatoes or do I dare mention french fries, and catch up with kasha.  You'll be consuming a compete protein and natural protection for your body's immune system.  Enjoy and protect!

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasha
http://www.vitaminstuff.com/amino-acid-lysine.html
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5683/2
http://vitallifeproducts.com/kasha-nutritional.php