Grünkern (, 'green kernel') is spelt that has been harvested when half ripe and then artificially dried. ''Grünkern'' is traditionally produced in the Bauland region in the north-east of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

(

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

). In response to periods of adverse weather, which destroyed crops, spelt was harvested before it was completely ripe, during the so-called 'dough-ripe phase', at about 50% moisture content. Because the dried kernels exhibited a pleasing flavor when cooked in water, it became traditional to harvest a portion of the spelt crop as grünkern. As a

winter crop Winter cereals, also called winter grains, fall cereals, fall grains, or autumn-sown grains, are biennial cereal crops sown in the autumn. They germinate before winter comes, may partially grow during mild winters or simply persevere under a suf ...

, the spelt meant for Grünkern would be harvested at the end of July and subsequently dehydrated, traditionally over a beechwood fire, or in modern times, in heated-air ovens. This preserves the grünkern (by reducing moisture content to 13%) and endows it with its typical taste and aroma. Before further processing, Grünkern must be husked or milled. Grünkern husk has been used as a cattle feed, or as the filler for small pillows which are meant to promote healthy sleep. The first attested use of grünkern was in

southern Germany Southern Germany () is a region of Germany which has no exact boundary, but is generally taken to include the areas in which Upper German dialects are spoken, historically the stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia or, in a modern context, Bavaria ...

, (

Amorbach Amorbach () is a town in the Miltenberg district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany, with some 4,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the small river Mud, in the northeastern part of the Odenwald ...

), in 1660. Grünkern was added to soups, and was dried by using the residual heat of bakehouses. The primary harvesting period at the end of July is also seen in old folk proverbs, such as:

''Christine, Jagowi, Sankt Anne is Ern! / Schneid't mer kee Korn, / so schneid't mer doch Keern.''

Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...
,
James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...
, Saint Anne it's harvest time! We don't reap grains, but we reap grünkern.

References

Wheat German cuisine Baden cuisine Cereals {{pooideae-stub

See also

References