[Sca-cooks] Frumenty.

[Decker, Terry D.]

Wheats are often divided into red and white and hard and soft.  Reds and
whites (including yellows) come in both soft and hard varieties.  Hard
wheats are high in protein.  Soft wheats are low in protein.  The hard and
soft descriptions derive from the feel of the flour when compressed in the
fist.  The harder it feels, the higher the protein, the better for bread.

Hard reds and whites are used for bread.  Soft red is used in cakes and
pastries where the whiteness of the flour doesn't matter.  Soft whites are
commonly used in crackers, biscuits and very light colored pastries.  The
planting of soft red varieties is declining.

Bear

> 	I did happen to be skimming a little book of Medieval
> verse snippets last night, and saw a reference to "red" wheat,
> but that still tells very little about the variety and its
> qualities.
>
> 		-- Ruth