What barley means
Barley is a cereal grain that has been grown and eaten since ancient times and is still widely used in cooking, brewing and animal feed. In the kitchen it is valued for its chewy texture and mild, slightly nutty flavour, and for the way it thickens soups and stews as it cooks. The most common form in Britain is pearl barley, which has been polished to remove the tough outer husk and the bran layer. It cooks relatively quickly and becomes soft and creamy.
Pot barley, also called Scotch barley, has had only the outer husk removed, so it keeps more of the bran, is chewier and takes longer to cook. Hulled barley is the whole grain with only the inedible hull removed. Barley is also sold as flakes and flour. Barley is traditionally added to soups and stews such as Scotch broth, beef and barley soup and Irish stew.
It can also be cooked like risotto, sometimes called orzotto, used in grain salads, or made into porridge. Barley water, made by simmering barley and straining it, is a traditional British drink. Much of the world’s barley is malted, meaning it is sprouted and dried, for brewing beer and distilling whisky, and for making malt extract. You will see barley in British, Scandinavian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European recipes.