Barley water explained

Barley water is a traditional drink consumed in various parts of the world. It is made by boiling barley grains in water, then (usually) straining to remove the grains, and possibly adding other ingredients such as sugar.

Variations

• (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κυκεών, from) was a drink made mainly of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. It was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast, but it was also a favourite drink of Greek peasants.^[1]
• Spanish; Castilian: Agua de cebada, in Spanish-speaking countries, is made with malted barley, sugar and lemon.^[2] In El Salvador, however, this name is used to refer to a different drink that is bright pink and is now made with wheat or rice instead of the original barley.^[3]
• The British version is made by boiling washed pearl barley, straining, and adding fruit juice, typically lemon, and sugar to taste.^[4] The fruit rind may also be boiled with the barley. The Robinsons brand of the drink was the official supplier to the Wimbledon tennis tournament and sponsored the event for over 80 years until 2022.^[5]
• East Asian and Southeast Asian versions are typically not strained and may be consumed hot or cold, with or without lime. These kinds of barley water generally include the strained grain within the drink. Hot barley water is often served with a spoon and cold barley water with a straw so that the soft-boiled grains can be eaten.
• Roasted barley tea is a popular East Asian drink. The roasted barley is strained and removed before drinking.^[6]
• It is a popular drink in India. It is called Panjabi; Punjabi: jau ka sattu in Punjabi.

Barley water has been used as a first baby food, before feeding with barley mush. It is also used as a home treatment that allegedly cures cystitis.

Nutrition

The following nutritional tables are from an analysis performed on a British-style barley water recipe. Nutrients listed are for one serving of 299g. Prepared from pearl barley, lemon juice and honey,^[7] it contains 11grams of honey and the juice of a quarter of a lemon, per serve. The proportion of major nutrients was found to be: carbohydrates, 89%; fats, 3%; protein, 8%. This version of barley water was analysed as a "good" source of fibre and vitamin C.^[8]

See also

• Coffee substitute
• List of barley-based drinks
• List of lemon dishes and drinks
• Rice water

Notes and References

1. Webster . Peter . Ruck . Carl . Perrine. Daniel M.. 2000 . 1129-7301 . Mixing the kykeon . Eleusis: Journal of Psychoactive Plants and Compounds . New series . 4 . 55–86 . 25 September 2019 . en, it. Link – via Researchgate.
2. News: 23 June 2018 . Camelias . Maggie . La horchata, la leche merengada, el agua de cebada y el granizado de limón sí son para el verano . Sibaritisimo. República . 2019-04-11. es. Para entendernos, el agua de cebada es una bebida hecha a base de malta, primero tostada y después cocinada con caña de azúcar, a la que se añade un poco de limón granizado. . https://web.archive.org/web/20190112084438/https://www.republica.com/sibaritisimo/2018/06/23/la-horchata-la-leche-merengada-el-agua-de-cebada-y-el-granizado-de-limon-si-son-para-el-verano/ . 12 January 2019.
3. Web site: Fresco de Cebada . 196Flavors.
4. Web site: Pearl barley recipes . BBC Food. 25 September 2019.
5. News: Kollewe. Julia. Robinsons and Wimbledon end 86-year partnership. The Guardian. 24 June 2022. 24 June 2022.
6. Web site: Picincu . Andra . 2018 . The health benefits of roasted barley tea . SFGate . 25 September 2019 .
7. Book: Brown . Alton . EveryDayCook . 2016 . Random House . New York . 978-1101885710. (Kindle locations: 3373-3378) . Kindle . First published 2016, Ballantine Books.
   • As cited in "Barley Water". Eat This Much website.
8. Web site: Barley Water . 2022-12-15 . Eat This Much . en.