Himalayan Buckwheat

Buckwheat is a fast-growing annual. The simple leaves are heart-shaped and borne along reddish hollow stems. The white flowers are produced in terminal clusters and are pollinated by bees and other insects. The kernels of the triangular-shaped seeds are enclosed by a tough dark brown or gray rind.Although most often seen as white with small dark brown/black speckles (as shown here), buckwheat �our can also be either uniform soft white or uniform pale tan in color.Buckwheat is a plant. People make flour from the outer shell of the seeds. This flour can be used either as food (usually in bread, pancakes, and noodles) or as medicine.Despite its name, buckwheat is not a type of wheat. Officially, it's not even a grain but rather a seed that's harvested from a flowering plant related to rhubarb. But the pyramid-shaped kernels are similar to grains from both a culinary and nutritional perspective.