Is there another name for the grain farro?

Originally from Ancient Mesopotamia, farro is a term used to describe any one of three ancient wheat grains: einkorn, emmer, or spelt. However, in the United States and Europe, the term farro generally refers to emmer wheat. 

Although farro has been popular in other parts of the world — especially Italy — for a long time, farro is rising in popularity in the United States as a nutritious substitution for other common grains. It’s known for its unique, nutty flavor. It’s also packed with nutrients and provides more health benefits than many common grains. 

Health Benefits

Farro is a grain, and most people use it as a carbohydrate source in meals. But when compared to popular refined carbohydrates, farro’s health benefits make it a superior choice for healthy living. Here are just a few of the impressive health benefits of eating farro. 

Improve Digestive Health

Farro is an excellent source of fiber. Fiber, in turn, helps regulate the digestive system. So it’s no surprise that farro has been shown to improve digestion in humans. If you have constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, or other digestive disorders, you may especially benefit from adding farro to your diet. 

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Although no studies have specifically looked at farro and weight loss, there are a number of factors that suggest that farro could help you maintain a healthy weight. Specifically, farro is loaded with fiber and protein. Studies show that increasing fiber intake can help prevent obesity. 

Meanwhile, protein is associated with creating a feeling of fullness, which can help prevent overeating. And studies show that eating three servings of whole grains like farro per day is associated with a lower BMI in humans.

Nutrition

Not all grains are created equal. Farro, in particular, is loaded with nutrients, making it a good alternative to the “empty carbohydrates” that many diets warn against. In fact, it’s an excellent source of plant-based protein, making it a great option for vegetarians and vegans to add to their lifestyle. Farro is also an excellent source of:

  • Iron
  • Magnesium
  • Fiber

Nutrients per Serving

Per ¼ cup serving of farro, you’ll get:

  • Calories: 140
  • Protein: 6 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 30 grams
  • Fiber: 3 grams
  • Sodium: 25 milligrams

Things to Watch Out For

Although farro is a relatively healthy grain, it’s important to remember that, like all grains, farro is relatively high in carbohydrates. Sticking to appropriate ¼ cup portion sizes of farro can prevent you from overindulging in carbohydrates for the day. 

Keep in mind that people with type 2 diabetes may see a reduction of symptoms on a low-carbohydrate diet. 

Despite being advertised on certain blogs as a low-gluten alternative to other grains, it’s also important to remember that there is no way to completely remove gluten from farro. As a result, it is not a safe food for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. 

How to Prepare Farro

Farro is a unique grain with a chewy texture and a nutty flavor. Though it can be substituted for any other grain in popular family recipes, keep in mind that water doesn’t make it expand as much as some grains, like rice. 

Farro cooks best when you rinse it first in cold water. Then, cook farro the same way you would cook pasta: in a pot of boiling water. 

Some people choose to soak farro overnight, which can shorten the cooking time to 20-30 minutes. Otherwise, unsoaked farro takes 30-40 minutes to cook in boiling water. You can tell farro is done cooking when it’s chewy rather than crunchy. Drain the farro right away to keep it from continuing to steam. 

There are a number of delicious ways to enjoy farro. Some suggestions include: 

  • Fried like rice
  • Served with grilled fish on top
  • Tossed into salad
  • As the base of a burrito bowl

Show Sources

SOURCES: 

Mayo Clinic: “Mayo Clinic Minute: Discover the Health Benefits of Farro.” 

Nutrition: “Dietary Fiber and Body Weight.” 

Nutrition & Metabolism: “The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus.”

Public Health Nutrition: “Whole-grain intake as a marker of healthy body weight and adiposity.”

The British Journal of Nutrition: “Dietary Protein - Its Role in Satiety, Energetics, Weight Loss and Health.” 

Farro figures prominently in the Mediterranean diet, an eating style frequently endorsed by healthcare practitioners as the world's healthiest. Easy to prepare, farro's nutty flavor and chewy texture make it versatile and adaptable to many cuisines.

What Is Farro?

Farro, a high-protein, high-fiber ancient whole-grain wheat, looks similar to barley, though with a slightly more oblong and larger grain. Like barley, farro retains a notable amount of chew when it gets cooked. Farro and barley can be used interchangeably in most recipes. Farro is a wheat product and contains gluten.

Along with other grains seeing a revival in modern American kitchens, such as Kamut, kaniwa, and freekeh, farro is considered an ancient grain, which the Oldways Whole Grains Council defines as a grain "largely unchanged over the last several hundred years." This is in contrast to the modern wheat found in most processed grocery-store products, which has undergone genetic manipulation and cross-breeding in an attempt to maximize production and profits.

How to Cook Farro

In the United States, farro is nearly always sold pearled, which means the bran has been removed so it needs less cooking time than whole farro, which has the bran intact, or semi-pearled farro, which retains some of the bran and is the most common variety found in Italy. Like other grains, farro is easy to cook on the stove, although you might prefer to cook it in a rice cooker or a pressure cooker for convenience.

Most producers recommend soaking whole farro overnight to shorten the cooking time. You can skip the overnight soak for pearled and semi-pearled farro, although it's generally still useful to soak it for however long you can, whether that's 30 minutes, an hour, or longer. Cook farro in a 1:2.5 or 1:3 ratio, or 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water or broth for each 1 cup of dry farro.

If you soaked the farro overnight, it'll be al dente in about 10 to 15 minutes. If you didn't soak the farro at all, start checking it after about 25 or 30 minutes. You can shorten the cooking time for whole farro without soaking it by cracking it in a spice grinder or food processor first to break open the hard outer shell.

Is there another name for the grain farro?
Is there another name for the grain farro?

 DebbiSmirnoff / Getty Images

Is there another name for the grain farro?
Is there another name for the grain farro?

 MariyaPhoto / Getty Images

Is there another name for the grain farro?
Is there another name for the grain farro?

 svariophoto / Getty Images

Is there another name for the grain farro?
Is there another name for the grain farro?

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Is there another name for the grain farro?
Is there another name for the grain farro?

 bonchan / Getty Images

What Does It Taste Like?

Farro has a nutty flavor with a hint of cinnamon and a chewy texture perfect for salads, soups, and sides. Like most grains, it makes a good base for dishes that layer flavors, such as protein bowls, as it takes on the character of a dressing or sauce. To enhance the nutty flavor, toast the grains in a dry skillet until fragrant and golden before you cook them in liquid.

Farro Recipes

Use farro as you would most any grain. It makes an especially good alternative to rice in the slow-cooker as it does not get mushy, even with prolonged cooking. Faro adds character to a salad and can stand in for arborio rice in a risotto.

  • Slow Cooker Chicken With Farro
  • Greek Salad With Farro
  • Pressure Cooker Farro Risotto

Where to Buy Farro

Look for farro in the bulk foods section of well-stocked natural grocers and health food stores or in packages in the baking section or cereal aisle of your grocery store. You can also purchase it online.

Storage

Store uncooked pearled farro in the unopened packaging in the pantry for three months and in the freezer for up to six months. Once you open the package, keep any unused portion in an airtight container away from moisture and light. Unprocessed farro, often sold as whole farro, can be kept in a cool, dark, dry pantry in an airtight container for a year. Save leftover cooked farro in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use it within three days.

Is there another name for the grain farro?
Is there another name for the grain farro?

The Spruce Eats / Catherine Song 

Varieties

The term farro can be applied to three different types of ancient wheat grains: spelt, emmer, and einkorn. Packages imported from Italy may be labeled with farro grande for spelt, farro medio for emmer, and farro piccolo for einkorn; emmer is the most common variety found in U.S. stores. Additionally, you can purchase farro whole, the most nutritious option; semi-pearled, with portions of the bran removed; or pearled, with all of the bran removed for the quickest-cooking variety.

Gluten-Free Ancient Grains

Article Sources

The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

What is another name for farro?

If you want to get scientific about it, farro is a type of grain in the wheat family known in Latin as Triticum dicoccum. Spelt, on the other hand, is Triticum spelta. Farro is also known (properly) in some circles by the name emmer.

What is farro called in English?

Definition. Farro is an ethnobotanical term for three species of hulled wheat: spelt (Triticum spelta), emmer (Triticum dicoccum), and einkorn (Triticum monococcum). Hulled wheat is wheat that cannot be threshed.

What grain is farro most similar to?

Substitutions for Farro The ancient grain farro is very versatile and can be replaced in most recipes with spelt berries, wheat berries, and Kamut® berries. If you want a gluten free substitute, sorghum, brown rice, or oat groats will all make good replacements in most recipes.

What is the grain called farro?

Originally from Ancient Mesopotamia, farro is a term used to describe any one of three ancient wheat grains: einkorn, emmer, or spelt. However, in the United States and Europe, the term farro generally refers to emmer wheat.