As more people embrace health-conscious living, the slow aging diet has emerged as a major movement in the food and wellness scene, bringing a wave of new dietary habits and superfoods into the spotlight. The latest rising star is farro, an ancient grain trending across Korea.
Farro, an Italian word meaning ancient wheat grain, is often used to describe three different grains — einkorn, emmer and spelt — but primarily refers to emmer, which is produced in large quantities in Italy today. Originally cultivated in ancient Mesopotamia and once a staple for Roman soldiers, farro has gained renewed attention for its impressive nutritional profile and versatility in modern meals.
The wheat grain entered the spotlight in Korea earlier this year when TV personality and model Hong Jin-kyung introduced it on her YouTube channel. She showed herself making “gimbap” (seaweed rice rolls) using rice mixed with farro, noting it helped her with weight management.
The grain garnered even more popularity when other celebrities like Han Ga-in, Son Tae-young and Uhm Jung-hwa shared videos of themselves enjoying it.
As a result, farro has become one of the most searched food items online in Korea. Social media platforms are flooded with recipes using the grain, from farro salads to stir-fried dishes, while home shopping networks and grocery retailers are stocking up to meet the demand.
The online fresh food delivery platform Market Kurly announced that the volume of farro sold in February increased by 70 percent compared to December of last year. Another platform, SSG.COM, also saw double-digit growth in farro sales compared to the previous year.
Farro’s traits
What makes farro stand out from other grains is its nutritional content. With a nutty flavor and chewy texture, the grain contains higher protein and fiber, more nutrients like vitamins and minerals and less gluten than modern-day wheat or other refined grains.
Farro’s sugar content is 2.4 grams per 100 grams, which is only about one-third the level of Khorasan wheat, which is one of the widely known low-sugar grains. It’s even lower than quinoa (5.3 grams) and peas (4 grams), allowing blood sugar to remain relatively stable after consumption.
It is also a good source of resistant starch, which offers longer fullness and promotes metabolism. The resistant starch content in 100g of farro is 1.2 grams, which is almost double that of white rice at 0.64 grams. Resistant starch is a type of fiber that is not easily broken down by digestive enzymes in the small intestine. This process allows blood sugar to rise slowly, helping with blood sugar management as well as aiding in weight management.
It’s also rich in fiber, containing 6.5 grams of dietary fiber per 100 grams, which is two or three times that of bananas (1.8 grams), apples (2.2 grams) and carrots (3.1 grams).
As farro gains popularity, companies are releasing various processed foods and health supplements using the grain.
CJ CheilJedang introduced a new line of its instant cooked rice, Hetban, which includes farro mixed with rice, while health supplement company Earnestree recently rolled out an enzyme supplement using organic farro.
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