After a steady decline in this crop since the 16th century, changing times and market trends, favoring organic production and food quality , are leading to a renaissance for Asturian spelt and a gradual expansion of land dedicated to its cultivation. Far removed from genetically modified organisms, spelt maintains its original character, thus distancing itself from the growing dominance of bland products lacking aroma, flavor, and even nutrients.
Asturian spelt has 50 percent more protein than common wheat, a high nutritional value that translates into numerous healthy characteristics, many more than any other modified wheat.
In Asturias, there is particular concern that cultivated spelt retains its genetic essence , resulting in a cereal with a protein content exceeding 14%, notably containing all eight essential amino acids. It also boasts a richer flavor and is more easily digestible than white wheat. As the original seed, it produces fewer allergic symptoms and provides ample fiber and silicic acid, one of the most essential nutrients for our bodies, aiding in the reconstruction of tissues and organs.
Asturian spelt stimulates the body's immune system , as it is high in vitamin B. Among the minerals it provides are sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, and calcium. Furthermore, the fat in spelt is primarily unsaturated. It contains no cholesterol and is rich in essential fatty acids. Its high tryptophan content has positive effects on overall well-being, both physically and mentally, as it contributes to serotonin production.
Almost exclusively in Asturias, efforts are underway to replant spelt, and the recent mechanization of the harvesting, threshing, and milling processes has allowed spelt to expand its market without sacrificing its organic character. This, in turn, is fostering a resurgence in the baking and confectionery sectors . Common wheat can be substituted with Asturian spelt in breads, biscuits, cakes, filled buns, pastries, pizza, crêpes, and cakes, as well as in pasta production.
As for spelt bread itself, it is made with a fine, spongy, grayish, and low-density flour. It exhibits great stability when kneaded. Once out of the oven, the bread is characterized by its smooth, soft, and thin crust, ranging in color from orange to toasted; its appearance is uniform when sliced, and its spongy texture depends on the percentage of spelt used. It can be kept for several days without losing the qualities of fresh bread. Its flavor and aroma are very distinctive, with a slight nutty note.
The cultivation of spelt deserves special mention in the councils of Grado, Pravia, Belmonte, Somiedo, Proaza, Yernes y Tameza and bordering areas, as well as some parishes of Salas and Tineo, where they preserve this traditional cereal of true ethnological interest.
Currently, a company in the municipality of Pola Lena, Speltastur , produces around 300 tons of regional flour annually, and its success serves to break a bad streak, since at the end of the nineties it was almost on the verge of extinction.
Currently, spelt is a solid alternative for 100% organic agriculture in Asturias . It allows livestock farmers to rotate crops on their land and profit from grain production, with the added benefit of using the straw for animal feed. In the spelt processing, everything is used: there is no waste.
Information:
Route of the Spelled
Rhythm tradition of cultivation, harvesting, shelling and baking is a real ethnographic luxury, which leaves no one indifferent to who attends step by step to its process. Since in August the ears are picked manually with "les mesories", passing through the most authentic husking in the ram or rabilar mill, until the slow time of the kneading and the preparation of the traditional oven.
Attending this kind of ancestral rite, is possible today if we go through the so-called Route of the Spelled, where asking locals we can go to these activities in the heat of authentic villages and peasants of the earth.
Along the route you can see on site various contraptions that served for the transformation of this product, such as yellow and electric rams, hydraulic mills and fornos. You can also enjoy breathtaking views of the Cubia and Narcea river basins. The first part of the Route starts from Grado to El Fresno, coinciding with the Camino de Santiago del Interior; The next section of the route, from El Fresno to Las Cruces, coincides with part of the Camín Real de La Mesa, one of the main communication routes with the Meseta from prehistoric times until the last century.
Route: Grade - Alto de la Cabruñana - El Fresno - Alvaré - Moutas Sierra del Pedrorio - Los Lodos - Las Cruces - Vigaña - Villandás - Seaza Valley - San Pedro - Agüera - Villanueva - Grado
The town of Grado is located just 27 kilometers from Oviedo. It can be reached via the A-63 "Oviedo - La Espina" motorway and the N-634 national road. Grado is also very well connected to Pravia, the airport, and Avilés, via the AS-235 and AS-237 regional roads.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
