Is bulgur gluten free? This wheat is a popular ingredient in the Middle East and is mostly used in many traditional dishes. Bulgur has several health benefits and is easy to prepare.

As the most important good source on this planet, wheat can be milled and harvested in several ways to create a lot of food. Bulgur wheat itself is produced from the wheat stalk seeds. It is also called wheat berries.

Is bulgur gluten free? No. Bulgur is not gluten free. It is made from wheat, which contains gluten. If you are celiac or have a gluten intolerance, you should avoid eating bulgur. There are many other grains that are naturally gluten free, such as quinoa, rice, and millet. You can also find gluten free versions of bulgur made from alternative grains, such as sorghum or amaranth. These can be found in health food stores or online. When cooking with bulgur, be sure to check the labels of all your ingredients to make sure they are gluten free.

Bulgur is famous for its high-fiber, which originated from Turkey but popular in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

To produce bulgur, you need to wait until the seeds of wheat are partially boiled, cracked, and then dried. Bulgur is harvested from the wheat stalk head, and each of it contains at least 50 kernels.

When the bulgur is ready and cooked fully, then you can use it for your dish. Bulgur is popular to use in tabbouleh salad, a Middle Eastern salad.

Bulgur has a hearty and nutty taste. Thus, it can work with several dishes. You even can use this ingredient to substitute couscous, brown rice, and quinoa.

Varieties of Bulgur

After you boil bulgur, crack and dry it, it will be separated by its size. Bulgur has four different types based on how coarse or fine bulgur grains you have. The finer the bulgur, the shorter the times for cooking you need. The first type is fine bulgur which is usually used in salad or tabbouleh.

While medium bulgur is mostly used in veggie burgers, cereals, porridge, and also dolmas.

Another type is coarser bulgur grains that are great for stuffing vegetables and pilaf, while the very coarse bulgur is mostly used for soups, pilaf, stews, Syrian kibbeh, veggie burgers, and meatballs.

The Benefits of Bulgur

High in fiber. If you have it every day it will prevent disease and will improve your digestion. Another benefit you will get is that bulgur promotes your heart health. If you consume enough fiber food every day like vegetables, fruits, or grains you will get a healthy heart.

Study reveals that people who eat at least 225 grams of whole grains per day, will reduce the risk of getting heart disease. Thus, consuming whole grains like bulgur will give you heart health benefits.

Bulgur will also help you control blood sugar. It reduces your blood sugar and lowers your insulin levels. The study also reveals that this kind of whole-grain will improve your insulin sensitivity.

Besides, it also is rich in phytonutrients and fiber that will help to control and improve blood sugar.

Another benefit is that it supports your gut and digestion health. When you regularly consume whole grain, it helps to grow healthy gut bacteria. The bacteria will produce fatty acids that are used to give you proper digestive function as well as intestinal health.

Plus, fiber-rich food like bulgur will be also effective to prevent and treat digestive problems like constipation.

Bulgur is also used to lose some weight. Though losing weight has several factors, some studies say that high fiber intake will reduce your tendency to gain weight.

There isn’t any study to show the relation between consuming dietary fiber and losing weight, but for some, eating fiber helps them to reduce calorie intake.

Fiber makes their digestion full. Yet, also keep in mind that your amount of energy that is absorbed from food may also be lowered.

How to Cook Bulgur

Bulgur is gluten free. That is why this whole grain is great for those who have celiac disease and intolerant to gluten ingredients. To cook bulgur, you don’t have to wash it, but you can rinse it after the bulgur has been cooked and you don’t drain it.

Another way to cook bulgur is by just soaking and boiling it in water. But, if you want to add it to dishes, do not soak it.

When you want to have bulgur for tabbouleh or salad, you can boil the bulgur for 15 minutes in water.

Or you also may try to soak it for 30 minutes. Wait until the grains are tender, and the water is absorbed. Soaking bulgur will give it a chewier texture that is great for salad. If you cook stews or soups, boil bulgur from raw.

This wheat is easy to prepare. Choose the types of bulgur you have, and it will determine how much time is needed to cook it. If the grains are coarser, then you need a longer time to cook.

Cooking bulgur is similar to couscous and rice. You need the boiling water to soften the grains. When you cook one part of bulgur, you need around two parts of water.

Bulgur is mostly used for breakfast dishes like chili, stews, soups, oats, and porridge.

To get bulgur, you can buy it in grocery stores, and the price is not that expensive. Or you can find this wheat in the bulk goods area or displayed with other whole-grain products.

Countries that Consume Bulgur

Bulgur is from Turkey, and now it is consumed by different populations. They develop their way to eat this grain. Bulgur is also used in Indian cuisine. It is sometimes mixed with milk and sugar as porridge. Or they also make it into savory porridge and add spices and vegetables.

While in the Middle East, this whole grain is put in the appetizer as tabouli or tabbouleh. It’s a kind of salad that mix tomatoes, bulgur, mint, parsley, lemon juice, and also olive oil. And in Turkish dishes, bulgur is used in Noah’s Ark pudding or ashure.

This cuisine is a traditional dish with nuts, fruits, bulgur, and honey, it is considered the oldest desert in the world. In Turkey, they also use bulgur for Turkish meatballs.

So what recipe do you want to try? Which one do you like the most? Whatever the recipes you would like to try, make sure that you store the uncooked bulgur in an airtight container. The aim is to protect it from mold and moisture. Keep the storage in a dark and cool place for several months.

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