A new ancient grain officially, registered as "QK-77", is being sold under the brand name "Kamut" (pronounced "Kah-moot"), and is now available in the natural food market.
This type of grain is believed to have originated around 4,000 BC. It has a fascinating history and a unique role in contemporary diets.
Kamut® has a rich, buttery flavour and has the true high energy properties valued by athletes and fitness buffs. It is also used successfully by many wheat-sensitive people.
Although Kamut® brand wheat is ancient, it's spanking new to the North American market. Forty years ago a U.S. Airman acquired just thirty-six kernels of a giant tetraploid wheat which he mailed to his father, a Montana wheat rancher. They believed the story - which, according to modern archaeology, is just a story - that the kernels were taken from an Egyptian tomb. Because of its supposed origin, the grain was dubbed "King Tut's Wheat". It was grown for a few years and displayed at the local county fair as a novelty. However, the novelty wore off and this ancient wheat was all but forgotten.
In 1977, one jar of King Tut's Wheat was acquired by a father and son team, Mack and Bob Quinn. The forward-thinking Quinns perceived the value of this ancient grain. They spent the next few years carefully propagating the grain on their wheat and cattle ranch near Big Sandy, Montana; meanwhile their research revealed that their grain had originated in that fertile crescent which extends from Egypt to the Tigris/Euphrates area.
The Quinns began marketing the grain under the brand name "Kamut", which was thought to be an ancient Egyptian reference to wheat. In 1990 the Quinns received a Variety Protection Certificate from the United States Department of Agriculture which recognised the grain QK-77 as a specific and protected variety. The Kamut® brand has now been registered as a trademark in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
The Kamut® brand was first introduced to the American health market with a pasta product in 1989. Because of its strong gluten properties, it makes an outstanding whole grain pasta which is superior to the familiar durum wheat pastas in both texture and flavour. Since that time other popular Kamut® brand products have been introduced to the market including bread and bagels, whole grain flour, rolled flakes, snacks, breakfast cereal, cous-cous, bulgur, pancake mix, cookies, tortillas, Kamut® brand wheat grass and juice, fresh pasta and frozen entrees. Because of this grain's unique light taste and nutritional properties, numerous manufacturers are developing other exciting products. Many feel the great taste of Kamut® brand wheat alone insures its place as a grain staple.
The complete nutritional analysis of Kamut® brand grain substantiates that it is higher in energy than other wheats. Compared to common wheat, Kamut brand grain is higher in eight out of nine minerals, contains up to 65% more amino acids, and boasts more lipids and protein.
Although it does contain gluten, many people find that Kamut® brand grain is less allergenic for them than common wheat. In two separate research studies conducted by Eileen Yoder, PhD., President of the International Food Allergy Association, 70% of those in the study with allergies to wheat were able to eat Kamut® brand products without difficulty. This supports the many accounts being reported by store owners and Herbalists such as Kelly Goyen of Empirical Herbs and Foods. Empirical Herbs uses biokinesiology to screen persons with severe food allergies. They have also found that approximately 70% of these with wheat allergies can tolerate Kamut® brand grain. Kelly has provided Kamut® brand products to over 4,500 of his wheat-sensitive customers and has not had a single report of allergic reactions to this remarkable grain. He calls Kamut® brand grain "The Wheat You Can Eat". As with any new food, however, anyone who has wheat allergies is advised to consult their allergy therpist before trying Kamut® brand products. No research has been done in the area of gluten intolerance so no recommendations can be made on that subject.
Medallion Laboratory in Minneapolis, MN, did a complete nutritional analysis of the ancient grain QK-77 Kamut®. These results were compared with figures compiled by the USDA for hard red spring wheat, hard red winter wheat, soft red wheat, hard white wheat and durum wheat. These grains are normally referred to in the U.S. as "common wheat". Here is a list of the USDA average values for wheat and the results of the Kamut brand grain analysis.
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// -- -- -- -- -- -- --- -- -- - -- - -- -- --- -- -- -- -- -- -- \\
|| Nutritional Values for Common Wheat and KAMUT® Brand Wheat ||
\\ //
|| Common Wheat - Kamut® Brand - ||
// US averages (a) approx. values (b) \\
|| ||
\\ water 11.5% 9.8% //
|| food energy per 100g 335 kcal 359 kcal ||
// protein 12.3% 17.3% \\
|| total lipid (fat) 1.9% 2.6% ||
\\ carbohydrate 72.7% 68.2% //
|| crude fibre 2.1% 1.8% ||
// ash 1.66% 1.82% \\
|| ||
\\ MINERALS (mg per100g) //
|| calcium 30 31 ||
// iron 3.9 4.2 \\
|| magnesium 117 153 ||
\\ phosphorus 396 411 //
|| potassium 400 446 ||
// sodium 2 3.8 \\
|| zinc 3.2 4.3 ||
\\ copper 0.44 0.4 //
|| manganese 3.8 3.2 ||
// \\
|| VITAMINS (mg per 100g) ||
\\ Thiamin (B1) 0.42 0.45 //
|| Riboflavin (B2) 0.11 0.12 ||
// Niacin 5.31 5.54 \\
|| Pantothenic acid 0.91 0.23 ||
\\ Vitamin B6 0.35 0.08 //
|| Folacin 0.0405 0.0375 ||
// Vitamin E 1.2 1.7 \\
|| ||
\\ LIPIDS (g per 100g) //
|| saturated: ||
// 16:0 (palmitic acid) 0.303 0.55 \\
|| monounsaturated: ||
\\ 18:1 (oleic acid) 0.225 0.4 //
|| polyunsaturated: ||
// 18:2 (linoleic acid) 0.733 1.58 \\
|| 18:3 (linolenic acid) 0.035 0.125 ||
\\ cholesterol 0 0 //
|| ||
// AMINO ACIDS (g per 100g) \\
|| Tryptophan 0.194 0.117 ||
\\ Threonine 0.403 0.54 //
|| Isoleucine 0.52 0.6 ||
// Leucine 0.964 1.23 \\
|| Lysine 0.361 0.44 ||
\\ Methionine 0.222 0.25 //
|| Cystine 0.348 0.58 ||
// Phenylalanine 0.675 0.85 \\
|| Tyrosine 0.404 0.43 ||
\\ Valine 0.624 0.8 //
|| Arginine 0.61 0.86 ||
// Histidine 0.321 0.43 \\
|| Alanine 0.491 0.63 ||
\\ Aspartic Acid 0.7 0.98 //
|| Glutamic Acid 4.68 5.97 ||
// Glycine 0.56 0.65 \\
|| Proline 1.5 1.44 ||
\\ Serine 0.662 0.93 //
|| ||
// (a) from Agriculture Handbook No. 8-20, \\
|| "Cereal Grains and Pasta" 1988, pp 20071-20076. ||
\\ (b) from Medallion Laboratories' Analytical Report No. 88011589, //
|| done for Montana Flour & Grains on Kamut® brand wheat, ||
\\ October 24, 1988. //
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Kamut® is a registered trademark of Montana Flour & Grains.
For a selection of recipes assembled by the Kamut Association of North America, surf along to their site at http://icstech.com/~kamut/recipes/index.html
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