Kasha is just another name for buckwheat groats. They can be used as a gluten free flour substitute, cooked into a breakfast porridge or combined with various other ingredients to make all manner of side dishes - granola, tabouleh, rissotto and various Mediterranean inspired soups and stews.

I've milled them and made cake. The color is odd, but it baked up pretty well 1:1 for flour. Maybe a bit dense, so add an extra egg.

I've never cared for traditional kasha, which is like a thick, gooey, rather than brothy, porridge, but if you boil up buckwheat like rice and get it to soft but still toothsome, it's good as a grain side. Add herbs, butter, or whatever you like. Use it under a saucy dish as you would rice.

If you cook it more like kasha, you can pound it together and make balls or patties and pan fry them.

Use in soup as a gluten free sub for barley, but it takes less time to boil down to slime so keep track of it.

I haven't tried this, but I bet it would be good in stuffing, again as you might use rice.

That's interesting because I've made kasha before and used it in recipes. Typically, when I make falafel and it is too wet, I add kasha to soak up some of the excess moisture. If I have it, I add chickpea flour to my falafel instead, but I don't always have it.

This is another one where names can be confusing. Buckwheat groats is hulled buckwheat, it's a whole pseudo-grain (i.e., it's not a grass). It may or may not be toasted. Kasha, per se, if you buy it labelled as such is usually par-cooked, like bulgar. Well, not in the same way. Bulgar is boiled and cracked and kasha is toasted. But kasha is also the name of the porridge-like dish, which is sometimes made with real grains or other plants, probably because you use what you've got, and its popularity grew among people who didn't have much, and there are boxed kashas that are sort of halfway done, like hot cereals.

BTW, I've been know to throw buckwheat, either raw or toasted, whole or milled into multi-grain bread.

ETA: I just found this NZ website while poking around. It's a company, but some well organized info and some gorgeous looking bowls made with buckwheat. https://www.ceres.co.nz/blog/the-non-wheat-wheat-buckwheat/

Lars, I'm curious. Looks like buckwheat/groats are a very high carb food. Is that correct?

Buckwheat groats are a high carb food, but I am allowed to eat whole grains in small quantities. Also, I add protein powder supplements to them. Brown rice and whole wheat bread are also on my diet, but I must limit the quantity. My diet requires a certain amount of protein per day and limits the number of calories, but it does not exclude carbohydrates. However, sugar, honey, molasses, etc are not allowed and alcohol is also very limited. Supposedly, I can have a glass of wine three times a week, but I instead have half a glass and then I can have it every day. I am also required to take a lot of vitamin/mineral supplements, but I can have all the green leafy vegetables I want, which is one of the reasons I stocked up on kimchi. Buckwheat is fairly high in protein, which makes it a good choice for a high carb food.

Here'san article on buckwheat and weight loss.

Here's where I first heard of groats:

Buckwheat, like quinoa, is a non-grain seed. It's generally called "more nutritious" than rice, whatever that means. Maybe that it has the higher protein content, or maybe the minerals, vitamins, etc. I don't know. I'm pretty sure Amaranth is also a non-grain seed.

From what I've read, brown rice is more nutritious than wheat, and I've also read that buckwheat is more nutritious than rice; i.e., has a higher percentage of protein but also other nutrients.

I looked at the package I bought to see where it was from, and the package only said that it was imported. However most of the writing was in Russian, and so I have to guess that it is from Russia. It did say that it is roasted. It also said in Russian that it is a 100% natural product, but that information was not translated. It also said "Galina", and that part was translated, but that is just the brand name.

Here, it's oftennused raw to add a bite to veggies, salads, desserts etc. You speak French so here's an interesting link.

http://madame.lefigaro.fr/cuisine/tout-savoir-sur-le-kasha-cette-graine-de-sarrasin-grillee-061016-117171

I'm not a fan of buckwheat. I find the taste similar to quinoa and I would think you could use it in similar recipes. I find it barely passable in pilafs. To me it's better mixed with other grains or seeds. A classic Jewish way is to mix if with farfalle pasta to make "kasha varnishka" which I don't much care for and it would seem if you were going for low carbs, that wouldn't be a good idea. I have a recipe in my "to try" file for quinoa stuffed mushrooms, and since I find that mushrooms seems to go well with the taste of kasha, you might consider something like that. Or in a stuffing for tomatoes or zucchini.

Thanks, Islay - that article did give me some ideas. I might try it in a salad, but I'm not so sure about porridge. It's interesting that they say it is so nutritious - that alone seems to make it worthwhile. I made brown rice last night, and so it will be a couple of day or so before I get to the groats. The photo of kasha patties intrigued me. That looks like it could be very good.

Can't help you with the groats, though recently bought some, so I will be experimenting too. Firesign Theater. I think I'm having a We're all bozos on this bus flashback, lol.