On Food and Cooking

then anneals the starch much as parboiling
does for true rice. It takes longer to cook than
most grains, sometimes an hour or more,
because its starch has been precooked into a
hard, glassy mass, and because its bran layers
are impregnated with cutins and waxes (p.
262) to resist the absorption of water (in
nature, the grains fall into the water and lie
dormant for months or even years before
germinating). The dark pigmentation may also
contribute; it is partly green-black chlorophyll
derivatives and partly black phenolic
complexes generated by browning enzymes.
Producers often slightly abrade the grains to
improve their water absorption and shorten
cooking time. Cooks can also pre-soak the
grains for hours in warm water.
The flavor of the raw grain has earthy and
green, flowery, tea-like notes. Curing
amplifies the tea notes (from pyridines) but
may add an undesirable mustiness; parching
generates browning reactions and a toasted,