Fagopyrum tataricum
Species of plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fagopyrum tataricum, also known as Tartary buckwheat,[2] green buckwheat,[3] ku qiao,[3] Tatar buckwheat,[citation needed] or bitter buckwheat,[4] is a domesticated food plant in the genus Fagopyrum in the family Polygonaceae.[5][6][7] With another species in the same genus, common buckwheat, it is often counted as a cereal, but the buckwheats are not closely related to true cereals.
| Fagopyrum tataricum | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Polygonaceae |
| Genus: | Fagopyrum |
| Species: | F. tataricum |
| Binomial name | |
| Fagopyrum tataricum | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Tartary buckwheat is more bitter and contains more rutin than common buckwheat. It also contains other bioactive components such as flavonoids, phenolic acids,[6] 2-hydroxybenzylamine and quercitrin.[8]
Uses
Known in Chinese as "bitter buckwheat" (Chinese: 苦荞麦; pinyin: kǔqiáomài) and in Japan as dattan-soba (韃靼蕎麦/ダッタンソバ; 'Tartary buckwheat'), the plant was domesticated as a crop in East Asia and is also being cultivated in Europe and North America.[9] While it is an unfamiliar food in the West, it is common in the Himalayan region today, as well as other regions in Southwest China such as Sichuan province.[citation needed] Tartary buckwheat is commonly roasted to make buckwheat tea, and it can also be distilled to make alcohol.[10] While not traditionally eaten in Japan, due to its high rutin content it was briefly popular as a health fad in Japan in the late 1990s.[11]
The plant has been cultivated in many parts of the world; however, when found among other crops it is considered a weed.[12][13] Less bitter varieties are now commercially available.[14]
Chemistry
Fagopyrum tataricum contains aromatic substances. The most important difference when compared to the aroma of Fagopyrum esculentum is the absence of salicylaldehyde and presence of naphthalene.[15]
Gallery
Fagopyrum tataricum seeds from Mustang, Nepal
A bowl of Fagopyrum tataricum seeds
