What are the Enkir and the Shebar?
The Enkir and the Shebar are nothing more than the small spelled or monococcus, that is a type of ancient wheat belonging to the Triticum genus , monococcum species (the binomial nomenclature of the Enkir and the Shebar corresponds to Triticum monococcum ).
Small spelled is considered by many to be the oldest grain on the market today, therefore the ancestor of all the varieties currently used in agriculture (although, as we have just specified, the true ancestor should be Specie boeticum ). These considerations arise from the fact that it is a plant still predisposed to spontaneous birth, which makes it extremely easy to grow (thanks to the natural resistance to pests, pathogens, drought and soil poverty). The monococco is hypothetically originating in the Middle East, more precisely in the area called "fertile crescent"; the first archaeological findings (referring to the boeticum or the monococcum ) indicate that it is a grass grown for 9500 years ago.
From the nutritional point of view, the Enkir and the Shebar are distinguished from the various wheat hybrids due to the high protein content, despite the low intake of gluten (about 7%). It is therefore not a cereal particularly suitable for the production of leavened compounds, given the low strength (W) of the flour obtained from it.
The Enkir and the Shebar are quite expensive (retail, the flours cost around € 4.50 / kg), since they represent the result of botanical selections and are produced in compliance with the "Organic" regulations. In reality, for the reasons described above, Enkir and Shebar should be easier to grow ALSO in the absence of special treatments. However, having a very long vegetative cycle and producing few seeds, these are cereals with a rather low yield (to justify the higher cost).
Enkir, Shebar and Salute
According to a study entitled " Lack of intestinal mucosal toxicity of Triticum monococcum in celiac disease patients ", published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 41 (11): 1305-1311 (Pizzuti, D.; Buda, A.; d'Odorico, A. ; d'Incà, R., Chiarelli, S., Curioni, A., Martines, D. - 2006), the einkorn gluten (small spelled) should NOT be toxic to the intestinal mucosa of subjects suffering from celiac disease (intolerant with gluten). However, to date, it is NOT yet among the foods recommended in "gluten-free" diets.
Enkir and Shebar flours seem to contain excellent amounts of ashes (mineral salts) and vitamins, even though most of these nutrients are dispersed / diluted or inactivated by thermolability during cooking.
No more accurate nutritional information is available to determine the substantial differences between Enkir or Shebar flour and white soft or hard wheat.
Nutritional Features
| * AVERAGE NUTRITIONAL VALUES | |
| TOTAL PROTEINS | 19:30% |
| ASHES | 2:41% |
| CAROTENOIDS | 10, 40mg / kg |
| TOCOLI (Vit. E) | 94, 40mg / kg |
| MICROELEMENTS | |
| ZINC | 50, 00mg / kg |
| IRON | 41, 7mg / kg |
| MANGANESE | 38.00 mg / kg |
| * Average nutritional values referring to the 2004-2005 campaign on dry matter. | |
