buckwheat

buckwheat
—buckwheatlike, adj.
/buk"hweet', -weet'/, n.
1. a plant, esp. Fagopyrum esculentum, cultivated for its triangular seeds, which are used as a feed for animals or made into a flour for human consumption, as in pancakes or cereal. Cf. buckwheat family.
2. the seeds of this plant.
3. Also, buckwheat flour. flour made from seeds of buckwheat.
adj.
4. made with buckwheat flour: buckwheat pancakes.
[1540-50; obs. buck(OE boc BEECH) + WHEAT; cf. D boekweit, G Buchweizen; so called because its seeds resemble beechnuts]

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Either of two species (Fagopyrum esculentum, or sagittatum, and F. tataricum) of herbaceous plants and their edible, triangular seeds, used as a cereal grain though the plant is not a cereal grass.

It is less productive than other grain crops on good soils but is particularly adapted to arid, hilly land and cool climates. Because it matures quickly, it can be grown as a late-season crop. It improves conditions for the cultivation of other crops by smothering weeds and may be planted as a green-manure crop. Buckwheat is often used as a feed for poultry and other livestock. It is high in carbohydrates and is about 11% protein and 2% fat. The hulled kernels, or groats, can be cooked and served much like rice. Buckwheat flour is unsatisfactory for bread but is used to make pancakes ("buckwheat cakes").

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▪ plant
      either of two species (Fagopyrum esculentum, or sagittatum, and F. tataricum) of herbaceous plants and their edible seeds, which are used as a cereal grain. The kernels of the triangular shaped seeds are enclosed by a tough, dark brown or gray rind. The white flowers are pollinated by bees and other insects. Although the seeds are used as cereal, the plant is not one of the cereal grasses.

      Buckwheat is less productive than other grain crops on good soils but is particularly adapted to arid, hilly land and cool climates. Because it matures quickly, it can be grown as a late season crop. Buckwheat flowers provide both pollen and nectar for bees. The plants improve conditions for the cultivation of other crops by smothering weeds and may be planted as a green manure crop that is plowed under to improve the soil.

      Buckwheat is a staple grain crop in Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland; France, Canada, and the United States are also important producers. It is often used as a feed for poultry and other livestock, and in England it is considered especially suitable for feeding pheasants. It is high in carbohydrates and contains about 11 percent protein, 2 percent fat, and small amounts of vitamins B1 and B2. In eastern European cookery the hulled kernels, or groats, cooked and served much like rice, are called kasha, and in France they are called sayraisin. Buckwheat flour is unsatisfactory for bread, but it is used in the United States and Canada, alone or mixed with wheat flour, to make griddle cakes called buckwheat cakes.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • buckwheat — [buk′hwēt΄, buk′wēt΄] n. [< ME bok (< OE boc ), BEECH + WHEAT, transl. of MDu boecweit or MLowG bokwete: from the resemblance of the seeds to beechnuts] 1. any of several plants (genus Fagopyrum) of the buckwheat family, grown for their… …   English World dictionary

  • Buckwheat — Buck wheat , n. [Buck a beech tree + wheat; akin to D. boekweit, G. buchweizen.] 1. (Bot.) A plant ({Fagopyrum esculentum}) of the Polygonum family, the seed of which is used for food. [1913 Webster] 2. The triangular seed used, when ground, for… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • buckwheat — 1540s, from M.Du. boecweite beech wheat (Cf. Dan. boghvede, Swed. bovete, Ger. Buchweizen), so called from resemblance between grains and seed of beech trees. Possibly a native formation on the same model as the Dutch word …   Etymology dictionary

  • buckwheat — ► NOUN ▪ a plant producing starchy seeds used for fodder or milled into flour. ORIGIN Dutch boecweite beech wheat , its grains being shaped like beechmast …   English terms dictionary

  • Buckwheat — Taxobox name = Common Buckwheat image width = 250px regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Caryophyllales familia = Polygonaceae genus = Fagopyrum species = F. esculentum binomial = Fagopyrum esculentum binomial… …   Wikipedia

  • buckwheat — sėjamasis grikis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Rūgtinių šeimos maistinis, pašarinis, vaistinis, medingas augalas (Fagopyrum esculentum), kilęs iš Kinijos. Jo sėklos naudojamos maistui. atitikmenys: lot. Fagopyrum esculentum; Fagopyrum… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • buckwheat — /ˈbʌkwit/ (say bukweet) noun 1. a herbaceous plant, Fagopyrum esculentum, cultivated for its triangular seeds, which are used as a food for animals, and in the US made into a flour for cakes, etc. 2. the seeds of the buckwheat. 3. buckwheat flour …  

  • buckwheat — noun Etymology: Dutch boekweit, from Middle Dutch boecweit, from boec (akin to Old High German buohha beech tree) + weit wheat more at beech Date: 1548 1. any of a genus (Fagopyrum of the family Polygonaceae, the buckwheat family) of Eurasian… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Buckwheat — Stanley Dural Jr. dit Buckwheat, est un chanteur, accordéoniste et pianiste américain né en 1947. Après des débuts de pianiste pour Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Little Richard et Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat s est lancé avec succès dans une carrière… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • buckwheat — [16] Buckwheat has no connection with male deer. The buck element is related to the English word beech, and the name comes from the resemblance of buckwheat (the seeds of bud 80 a plant of the dock family) to the three sided seeds of the beech… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

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