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The Korea Times

By Lee Gyu-lee
As more people embrace health-conscious living, anti-ageing diets – designed to slow the ageing process – have emerged as a major movement in the food and wellness scene, pushing superfoods into the spotlight.
The latest rising star is farro, an ancient grain trending across South Korea.
Farro, an Italian word meaning ancient wheat grain, is often used to describe three different grains – einkorn, emmer and spelt – but primarily refers to emmer, which is produced in large quantities in Italy today.

Originally cultivated and eaten more than 2,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia and once a staple for Roman soldiers, it is still popular in Italian and other Mediterranean cuisine. It has now attracted renewed attention for its impressive nutritional profile and versatility in modern meals.
The wheat grain entered the spotlight in Korea earlier this year when TV personality and model Hong Jin-kyung introduced it on her YouTube channel. She showed herself making kimbap (seaweed rice rolls) using rice mixed with farro, noting it helped her with weight management.

The grain garnered even more popularity when other Korean celebrities such as actress Han Ga-in, actress and model Son Tae-young and singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa shared videos of themselves enjoying it.
As a result, farro has become one of the most searched food items online in Korea. Social media platforms are flooded with recipes using the grain, from farro salads to stir-fried dishes, while home shopping networks and grocery retailers are stocking up to meet the demand.
The online fresh food delivery platform Market Kurly announced that the volume of farro sold in February increased by 70 per cent compared to December 2024. Another platform, ssg.com, also saw double-digit growth in farro sales compared to the previous year.
Farro’s healthy traits
What makes farro stand out from other grains is its nutritional content. With a nutty flavour and chewy texture, the grain contains more protein and fibre, more nutrients including vitamins and minerals and less gluten than modern-day wheat or other refined grains.

Farro’s sugar content is 2.4 grams per 100 grams, which is only about one-third the level of Khorasan wheat, one of the widely known low-sugar grains. It is even lower than quinoa (5.3 grams) and peas (4 grams), allowing blood sugar to remain relatively stable after consumption.
It is also a good source of resistant starch, which offers longer fullness and boosts metabolism. The resistant starch content in 100g of farro is 1.2 grams, which is almost double that of white rice at 0.64 grams.
Resistant starch is a type of fibre that is not easily broken down by digestive enzymes in the small intestine. This process allows blood sugar to rise slowly, helping with blood sugar management as well as aiding in weight management.

It is also rich in fibre, containing 6.5 grams of dietary fibre per 100 grams, which is two or three times that of bananas (1.8 grams), apples (2.2 grams) and carrots (3.1 grams).
As farro gains popularity, Korean companies are releasing processed foods and health supplements using the grain.
CJ CheilJedang introduced a new line of its instant cooked rice Hetban which includes farro mixed with rice, while health supplement company Earnestree recently rolled out an enzyme supplement using organic farro.

In Hong Kong, retail grocer ParknShop sells spelt canned in individual portions for HK$12.90 (US$1.70).
Other city grocers, health food shops and online stores – including City’super, Slowood, SpiceBox Organics, Eco Shop and iHerb – offer farro in various forms.
If you are not sure how to cook with farro, check out this healthy recipe from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the US state of Massachusetts.


Read the original story at The Korea Times.
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Farro still features in Mediterranean cuisine. Photo: Shutterstock


A farro salad with kale and pomegranate seeds. Healthy recipes such as this have flooded social media as the ancient grain trends in South Korea and elsewhere in Asia. Photo: Shutterstock

Farro has attracted attention in Korea and beyond for its health benefits and versatility. Photo: Shutterstock

Farro entered the spotlight in Korea earlier this year when Hong Jin-kyung used it to make kimbap in a video on her YouTube channel. Photo: instagram.com/jinkyunghong

Farro was originally cultivated and eaten over 2,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. It remains popular in Mediterranean cuisine. Photo: Shutterstock

Farro at US grocery chain Trader Joe’s. The grain has more protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and less gluten, than modern-day wheat. Photo: Shutterstock

In Hong Kong, spelt – a kind of farro – is available in tins at Hong Kong supermarket chain ParknShop. Photo: ParknShop

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Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Food & Drink

Singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa is among Korean celebrities to have embraced a grain 2,000-plus years old, as farro recipes flood social media


Singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa is among Korean celebrities to have embraced a grain 2,000-plus years old, as farro recipes flood social media.


Healthy eating

Korea Times

What's hot in Korea

South Korean celebrities