FOOD : it's a grain-off ! | the tastiest grain contest

oh i’m so excited to share this post !
one of our final nights in portland, we had a grain-off – basically trying five different grains, score them, and decide the winner of the tastiest grain contest !

we were at our hosts sara and ian’s place, and we had the contest with our sort of pre-dinner drink. having a glass of wine, tasting the different grains, giving little comments.
when we were tasting grain #4, sara suddenly starts laughing pointing out that we’re like a parody of portland people. like straight out of a portlandia episode. actually having a grain tasting. with organic, locally produced grains of course.
how funny !
and a little bit embarrassing ^^

moving on to the contest !
the contestants are ( from top right corner clockwise ) :
– amaranth
– rye berries
– millet
– buckwheat
– oat groats

now, before we get down to the scoring, we need to clear something out.
we made a mistake when cooking the buckwheat !
i’m used to cooking it for quite long, but this must have been some kind of instant buckwheat cause they got soggy and fell apart after just one minute.

so in buckwheat’s defence, this wasn’t exactly a fair game.

amaranth and rye berries

oat groats, buckwheat and millet

ok let’s move on the the scores ! which grain is the tastiest ?
we scored the grains from 1 to 5.
5 being the most delicious little treat, 1 being boring and bland.
here goes :

amaranth
sara : 4
ian : 2
david : 2
jenny : 3
total : 11

oat groats
sara : 5
ian : 3
david : 3
jenny : 5
total : 16

buckwheat
sara : 3
ian : 2
david : 2
jenny : 5 ( but based on previous non-overcooked experiences )
total : 12

millet
sara : 5
ian : 3
david : 4
jenny : 2
total : 14

rye berries
sara : 4
ian : 4
david : 1
jenny : 5
total : 14

and the winner is … oat groats !
with millet and rye berries close seconds. actually they were all quite close.
for example, i go more for rye and buckwheat – which have nuttier, earthier flavours. and david likes millet the best, which was my least favourite.

anyway this contest was a lot of fun ! you should have a go, it’s a fun thing to do together.
i want to have more food-offs. like vegan milks, nut butters, exotic strange fruits, teas, beans, and chili fruits.
it’s fun thing to do with other foodie friends, don’t you think ?

in conclusion, i think that grains are so underrated. most of us don’t go further down the grain aisle than pasta and white rice ^^
there are so many fun ones out there, with distinct and unusual flavours. i’m dying to try more of them now !