Grains, rice & flours · Whole grains
Pearl barley
Barley grains polished of their bran; plump, chewy and starchy, ideal for soups, stews and risotto-style dishes.
Also called: barley, arpa, jau
Photo: 국립국어원, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-2.0)
What it is
Pearl barley has had its tough hull and most of the bran rubbed off, leaving ivory, rounded grains with a central groove. Pot (hulled) barley keeps more bran and takes longer to cook. Barley releases starch as it simmers, thickening soups naturally. It contains gluten-type proteins (hordein).
Hordeum vulgare
How it’s used
- Scotch broth and beef and barley soup
- Orzotto, a risotto-style barley dish
- Grain salads
- Turkish and Persian soups
- Barley water
Characteristics
- Taste
- Mild, slightly sweet and nutty.
- Texture
- Plump and chewy.
- When cooked
- Simmer roughly 30–45 minutes; it keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, so soups thicken overnight.
- Sold as
- whole, flakes, ground
- Cooking uses
- Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling, Used for thickening
Kinds in our pantry
Storage
Pantry-stable. Airtight in a cool, dry cupboard; keeps well.
Diet, allergens and safety
Contains Gluten.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
- Contains gluten-type proteins; unsuitable for coeliacs.
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 352 kcal
- Protein
- 9.91 g
- Carbohydrate
- 77.72 g
- Fat
- 1.16 g
- Fibre
- 15.6 g
- Sugars
- 0.8 g
USDA FoodData Central: Barley, pearled, raw.
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Farro — Similar chewy texture in soups and salads; also contains gluten.
Related ingredients
Recipes with pearl barley
Bazeen
Libyan · 2 h 5 min · 763 kcal
Haleem
Pakistani · 4 h · 364 kcal
Krupnik
Polish · 1 h 45 min · 325 kcal
Mulgikapsad
Estonian · 2 h 15 min · 476 kcal
Mulgipuder
Estonian · 1 h 5 min · 434 kcal
Scotch broth
British · 2 h 20 min · 324 kcal
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