Jewawut or Barley is a food plant that is included in the type of small seed cereal (millet) which is popular in several areas such as West Sulawesi, Buru Island, East Nusa Tenggara, and Central Java. Historically, barley has been a staple food in East Asia and Southeast Asia. This plant comes from China, about 3 thousand years ago, barley spread to Europe and the archipelago. Before rice became a staple food in the archipelago, barley had become the staple food of the people of the archipelago. The barley plant can survive in drought conditions so that it can adapt to less fertile areas, because this plant is widely planted by the community, especially during the dry season. The seeds of the barley plant have various colors such as black, yellow, purple, red, and orange-brown. Barley is usually processed into rice or porridge and can be used as flour as a substitute for wheat flour.
The content contained in barley
Barley is rich in nutrients that are better than rice and corn. Its nutritional content includes 84.2% carbohydrates, 10.7% protein, 3.3% fat, and 1.4% fiber. Barley also contains calcium and contains gluten so it can replace wheat flour.
Benefits of barley
Barley has several properties for the body such as preventing the formation of cancer cells, lowering cholesterol, reducing infections from heart disease, and lowering blood sugar levels.
Barley has antioxidants that can counteract free radicals. Barley porridge is believed to be good for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. In addition, barley has a low glycemic index, which is why it is very suitable for people who are on a diet or diabetics.
As a substitute for rice for people with diabetes or on a barley diet, it is very good to eat because it has lower calories than rice and better nutrition than rice and corn so it is better consumed for the body and health.
