process. Barley has more of its grain removed
than does rice, the other grain frequently
prepared as a whole grain. This is partly
because barley bran is brittle and doesn’t
come off in large flakes, so it can’t be
removed during normal milling; and partly
because processors eliminate the deep crease
in the barley grain to give it a more uniform
appearance. The process of “pearling” in a
stone mill removes the hull and then portions
of the bran. “Pot barley” has lost 7–15% of
the grain, but retains the germ and some of the
bran, and so more nutrients and flavor. Fine
pearled barley has lost the bran, germ, and
aleurone and subaleurone layers, a loss of
about 33% of the grain’s initial weight.
Food Words: From Barley Water to
Orgeat, Horchata, Tisane
The European habit of drinking barley
water has mostly faded away, but it lives
on in the names of several other beverages