Urkorn – I'm sure you've heard of this particular type of grain before. As the name suggests, it has something to do with the original form of grain. "Ur" means "old", but anyone who now believes that "old" is something negative in this sense is mistaken.
But what is Urkorn and what does it have to do with these "old" cereals? And what do we at Verival have to do with this particular grain? We will tell you all about this in our basic article on the subject of original grain.
Ur-what? What exactly is Urkorn?
Urkorn refers to the original cereals, which today have largely been replaced by modern cereals grown for maximum yield. However, for a few years now, the original varieties have had an extreme upswing and are currently making a big comeback.
Urkorn has already come a long way – why switch back from high-yield, modern wheat to Urkorn cereals? There are a few reasons for this. Urkorn is better tolerated than its relatives, tastes more intense, and is more nutritious. If this is not enough for you as a justification, it should also be mentioned that primordial grain also benefits the soil and the climate – it promotes biodiversity and protects the soil, as the old varieties do not leach the soil in this way.
Organic farmers, in particular, appreciate that the so-called spelt cereals, such as spelt, bucket, and einkorn, are largely unaffected by environmental influences. Their grains are encased in a solid shell that protects them from acid rain, fine dust, or spore fungi.
Buckets and einkorn are also characterized by low nutrient requirements and can be grown on dry, lean soils. The special advantage of primordial rye lies, for example, in its strong and fine root system. It permeates the entire field and prepares it for subsequent vegetable and grain cultivation.
It may well be that modern wheat would certainly be the "easier" solution – but if you want to deal responsibly with yourself and the environment, Urkorn should be considered. But what about the history of primordial grain?
The Long Adventure of the Original Grain – The Story
In the mid-1950s, the agronomist Peter Zübli came across a fabulous find: he discovered a few grains in a small farm in Buus (Switzerland), which later turned out to be a rare white emmer. Subsequently, this original grain was added to the database of old varieties of Pro Specie Rara. At that time, no one suspected that these grains would establish a success story some 40 years later.
The biologist Markus Jenny built a show garden with old cereals, including the rare emmer and einkorn. He wanted to investigate the diversity of animals and plants in the field. For example, it has been scientifically proven that soil breeders in particular, such as the skylark, benefit from the extensive cultivation of the bucket and einkorn. Aside from these new perspectives for species protection, the project brought additional ecological added value: the farmers in the area liked this initiative, and they moved with it. Today, organic buckets and einkorn are grown on around 200 hectares, and consistently sustainable products are produced from them.
Primordial cereals, such as emmer, einkorn, and spelt, were cultivated thousands of years ago. But the new cereals, which were cultivated for maximum yield, displaced the original cereals. With the advent of the organic wave in the early 1990s, the robust plants are celebrating their revival and are now increasingly grown again as high-quality, organically produced foods, especially in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Verival and Urkorn - Made for Each Other!
For several years, we at Verival have been working with Prof. Sneyd, a plant breeding specialist and technical director of a seed breeding company. This enables us to create our own recultivation project in Baden-Württemberg, with the aim of propagating high-quality old cereal varieties and creating unique Verival organic products from them.
Which original grain varieties are in our breakfast products?
VERIVAL rye
Rye is more often associated with intensely fragrant sourdough bread from the baker; you may still recognize it as a full-bodied ingredient in wheat pastries, but rye in cereals? An underrated pleasure. Connoisseurs love it for its nutty, earthy taste, which brings you back to the bottom of the facts – early in the morning – as if the rye were whispering to us: "Take it slow."
VERIVAL Einkorn
Nomen est Omen: Einkorn is named after the special arrangement of its seeds on the individual ear spindles, where the grains proudly stand individually. It is one of the oldest and most nutrient-rich cereals of all time and is only remotely related to wheat: the two varieties shared the same ancestors about 10,000 years ago.
VERIVAL yellow oats
Oatmeal
is omnipresent and super popular. Not without reason:
Oats
taste delicious without being applied and convince both as a basis for the warm
porridge
and as a basis for the granular muesli with freshly sliced fruit. VERIVAL yellow oats have a few additional features that make it a little special among oat varieties.
VERIVAL spelt
Just a few centuries ago, spelt in Austria, especially in Burgenland, was at least as well-known and sought after as wheat. However, cultivation proved to be more elaborate, and so its cultivation gradually declined. VERIVAL revives the original spelt because it truly has so much to offer.
Is Urkorn healthier than modern cereals?
The short answer: Yes! However, the longer answer is not particularly difficult to understand. It's even quite simple. They have a higher protein content, contain more minerals, and more carotenoids. That's why we have chosen these cereals as the basis for their recipe in our Urkorn Müslis. By cultivating and using so-called primeval cereal varieties, we want to actively contribute to preserving biodiversity and counteracting variety depletion.
In addition, our original grain has a protective spelt shell. However, this casing not only protects spelt, bucket, and einkorn from environmental influences, but is also responsible for the resistance of this primeval grain. Due to the shell, which is removed during dehusking, the grains contain fewer pollutants and are easier to digest.
While the wheat grain was also altered in its gluten structure by new breeding methods, causing the gluten content to steadily increase, the original cereal varieties remained in their original low-gluten form. The result is better tolerability. Fiber has also been better preserved in the original grain varieties – the benefits of fiber are reflected in the human body, especially in digestion.
The ideal alternative to wheat is, for example, spelt – it scores with more protein and more vitamins. And another great feature distinguishes this primeval grain: It provides a very good source for the formation of serotonin, also called the "feel-good hormone," which contributes to a mood-lifting effect.
Where do we grow the original grain at Verival?
It is very important to us that we are supplied regionally and personally. Personal contact is one of the most important components, as we can gather a lot of background information about the product. In addition, we ensure that we are supplied from smaller, selected organic farms.
We work intensively with our farmers at all stages of cultivation, from seed procurement to care and storage. This allows us to achieve the highest level of transparency and traceability. The optimal choice of the harvest time, in coordination with production, prevents long storage times of the crop and significantly contributes to the quality of our products.
For us, all of this is an essential contribution to society and aligns with our philosophy. Social responsibility is becoming an increasingly important issue, which is why we try to do our part to preserve the climate and biodiversity as best as we can.
Which Verival products contain Urkorn?
Now that we've talked so much about the primeval grain, you'll surely want to know which of our products contain it. At Verival, we specialize in original grain for our many different cereals. There are now 7 different varieties that can be enjoyed for breakfast in the morning. Here you will find a recipe with granola and pure grain muesli.
Recipe idea: Granola tartlet made of berries Urkorn muesli with yogurt cream
Ingredients
For the tarts
- 200 g Berry Urkorn Muesli
- 100 g oatmeal
- 100 g nuts (here walnuts)
- 4 tbsp flaxseed, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100 g coconut oil
- 100 g maple syrup
For the cream
- 300 g Greek yogurt
- 150 g stoppers
- ½ lemon, grated
- ½ tsp vanilla, ground
- 1 tsp. maple syrup
For topping
- many different berries – e.g. raspberries, blueberries, strawberries
- a few banana chips
- a few edible flowers – e.g. daisies, lilac blossoms
Preparation
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For the bottoms, finely chop the walnuts and melt the coconut oil.
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Knead into a sticky mixture with all the other ingredients.
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Distribute the mixture in muffin tins and press firmly to the bottom and edge. This works best with moistened hands.
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Bake in the oven at 160°C for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool briefly and then gently release from the molds with a spoon.
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For the cream, mix all the ingredients and add to the cake bases. Decorate with berries and flowers.
Video
Starting with simple Urkorn flakes and Bircher Urkorn muesli , through the apple apricot Urkorn muesli, the berry Urkorn muesli, the 8-fruit Urkorn muesli, the nut fruit Urkorn muesli to the nut Urkorn muesli – there is something for everyone with our Urkorn muesli! And best of all, we now also offer XXL packs! Environmentally friendly and more muesli in one fell swoop – a dream come true.
You can learn more about Urkorn here:
