“The small spelt is the ancestor of cereals, but little known in our environment”
- Although it is a cereal from the Neolithic, little spelt (Triticum monococcum) is known in our environment. “When agriculture emerged, the small spelt was the first cereal that began to sow, the first one that domesticated, and that also has cultural, anthropological and historical interest,” explains Andoni Estrella González, producer of Lumbier. The recovery of this cereal had already begun elsewhere in the Basque Country, but little has been seen in our country so far, and especially in Iparralde: “Production is more developed in the French state and in other countries, but below the Pyrenees it is totally marginal,” he adds.
A group of friends from the Lumbier area are behind the small spelt production project. They want to make the path of sovereignty collectively, and at the moment, about six households are collectively producing the old cereal. “There are small families, communities, some occupied people… For us the small spelt is a kind of excuse or symbol to do things differently, out of the present mold,” explains Estrella. In addition to the goal of food, they aim to establish relationships, care for the environment, encourage collaboration, open spaces for reflection and reflection, and work in neighborhood and community.
In addition to the small spelt, the members of the group spread around bread from other cereals. “Here we sell what is produced closely, but our priority is not necessarily to sell it: we have the possibility to exchange it and we are open to any other approach beyond market logic,” he explains. As such cereals did not exist below the Pyrenees, the manufacturer explained that they have full autonomy in setting the price. “We take brown rice as a reference, slightly lowering prices.”
Similar to brown rice
But what are the characteristics of the small spelt, the forefront of all cereals? “It has many minerals and is very suitable for our body, it straightens easily,” Estrella replies. Given the current problems with gluten, it stands out that it is a good food, as it contains gluten, but it has "good gluten", easy to digest. “The great quantity of gluten is used today to search for concrete textures of breads, which has turned bad gluten, does not have to be bad in itself,” he adds.
From the production group, it is also intended to increase the intake of the whole grain instead of hardening with a small spelt. “It’s easy to eat all over the grain, it’s like brown rice, and we want to encourage it to save energy and our health.” After analyzing the production, he recognizes that, being an ancient cereal that has hardly been classified, they take out less yield, but that it does not have a comparable quality. “For food and health, I think the little spelt is the best cereal you can eat,” he concludes. Do you want to get the cereal? Or more information? The producer proposes to contact them by phone: 635 20 19 54 and 680 73 28 55.
