You might think that buckwheat is a product that is very similar to the wheat we are familiar with in our homeland. The fact that this is not the case can already be guessed from this introduction.

Buckwheat is a cereal seed that originally comes from Asia. It resembles the fruit of the beech tree, the small brown beechnuts, hence its German name. However, another name for buckwheat is heath grain. It is therefore not similar to wheat in shape, colour or plant species.

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The artichoke is a vegetable that is mostly only known by name, and although it is often available in supermarkets, it is not yet very common in our cuisine.

The artichoke is not actually a vegetable, but a flower. What we eat is the flowering part of a plant that can grow up to 2 metres high and belongs to the composite family, as do daisies and endives, for example.

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The name amaranth doesn't ring a bell for most Europeans, as it hasn't yet penetrated very far into our kitchens.

Amaranth is a cereal-like grain, although it does not belong to the cereal family, but has been placed there for the sake of simplicity.

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Ever since the method of genetic manipulation, or gene modification as some would prefer, has dominated research, there has been controversy surrounding its use in the breeding of crops and food.

What at first seemed to be a complete success and was advertised as such, namely that the plants were now more robust, would be contaminated with fewer pesticides, yields could be increased and the plants themselves could be made more durable, was quickly recognised by the general public and the press as a strategy with which manufacturers wanted to save money at the expense of the health of the population.

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