Ancient crop plants like quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, spelt and unripe spelt grain are increasingly finding their way into modern supermarkets which used to find in health food store

only. Many consumers buy them not only for their nutritional value but also to experience new tastes."Millet is a versatile cereal grain," noted Harald Hoppe, a member of BIOSpitzenkoeche

("Top Organic Chefs"), Germany's only association of organic chefs. According to him, its high level of silicic acid earned it the nickname "the beauty grain." Millet strengthens hair, skin and

fingernails, bolsters the nervous system and improves mental performance.

Peter Roehrig, deputy director of Germany's Organic Food Industry Federation points that like rice, millet can be easily prepared as a pudding or side dish. It is suitable for people with celiac

disease, or gluten intolerance, because it is free of gluten, a composite of proteins in wheat, rye, and barley. Millet has long been grown in China, North Africa and North America, and more

recently in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

Spelt comes second in the list. An ancient strain of wheat that was used to bake bread as far back as the Middle Ages, spelt has a hearty, nutty flavour. Baked goods of spelt are rich in protein,

and people with a wheat allergy can often tolerate spelt better. Henrik Passmann, deputy director of the Bavarian Baking Academy said that, Spelt, whose grains do not thresh free of the chaff,

is also rich in fiber, minerals and vitamins. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Finland are the prime cultivators of this crop.

Unripe spelt grain: "When a bad crop was feared, spelt was harvested before full ripeness, with the grains still soft and milky inside," Hoppe explained. The unripe grains are kiln-dried and take

on a greenish colour. As Roehrig noted, the flour lends itself well to organic grain fritters.

Another ancient crop which is resurging now is Amaranth. "Amaranth isn't a true cereal grain. It's a pseudo-cereal," Passmann said. It belongs to the flowering-plant family Amaranthaceae, some

species of which are popular ornamental plants for gardens and balconies. Amaranth has small, round seeds. It is grown mainly in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, Hoppe said.

Hoppe added "What makes amaranth special is its high content of the amino acid lysine. Lysine stimulates nutrient and energy metabolism in the human body, which boosts working capacity

and athletic endurance."

Roehrig further said that Amaranth should not be stored too long as it is very high in fat and spoils quickly. It is traditionally used for sweet pudding, flatbread and soup. It's also often used for

muesli and waffles.

Next in the list is Quinoa. Like amaranth, quinoa is not a true cereal grain and belongs to the flowering-plant family Amaranthaceae. Its small, round seeds are rich in iron, which helps the body

to make red blood corpuscles. The seeds must be harvested by hand since they do not all ripen at the same time. Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador are the countries where quinoa is cultivated.

Roehrig said," Before use in the kitchen, the seeds should be briefly rinsed again, noting that the plant protected itself from pests with saponins. These bitter-tasting chemical compounds can be

washed off with water. The seeds are traditionally used to make flatbread, pudding and dumplings. Quinoa germ can be processed into beverages, Passmann said. And like rice, quinoa is

cookable and palatable.

The last crop is Buckwheat. Passmann explained that Buckwheat belongs to a family of flowering plants sometimes called knotweed. Its three-cornered seeds, similar to beechnuts, are rich in

such nutrients as potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and phosphorus.

The taste of buckwheat is rather distinctive but the properties of buckwheat flour result in fluffy pies, cakes and souffles. The main countries where Buckwheat is cultivated are China, Russia,

Ukraine and Hungary. Roehrig added that it grows in harsh climatic conditions, for example in Siberia. (With Input from Agencies)