Job’s Tears: The Fabulous Grain That’s Hard to Find
Filed Under Natural Cooking |
Words cannot express how much I love Job’s tears. I first encountered them when I was studying at the School of Natural Cookery®. This hearty, hardy, robust grain looks like it must be some ancient cousin of barley, but happily for Celiacs (like my dad and my favorite cousin), this gluten-free heavenly creation isn’t related to barley – it’s actually the seed from a kind of grass. Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) are also known by their Japanese name, hato mugi. They look like plump, round barley pearls, and they cook up nice and chewy for sustainable energy that gives you complex carbohydrates, fiber and minerals. Job’s tears are especially easy to cook if you have a pressure cooker, but even a sturdy pot with a heavy cover will do.
Job’s tears have been revered for centuries (perhaps millennia!) for their strengthening energy. I’ve also read that they can help dissolve and expel excess mucus from the body. You can find out more by checking some popular natural health/food reference books, or even by searching online. Check them out and then see if you can track some down!
There are at least a couple of different brands of Job’s tears sold in natural food stores; they may also be sold in bulk, but be aware that Job’s tears are delicate and need to be kept cool (I keep mine in the refrigerator), so shop smart and choose wisely. If you can’t find them, ask the manager of your local health food store to stock them. Once the public gets to know Job’s tears (hato mugi), they’re sure to be worth their space in the cooler.
Rebecca
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I love hato mugi, but now I am unable to find any of the unhulled grain. There’s plenty of the “pearled” kind available, but I prefer whole grain.
I bought some from Simply Natural Foods about a year ago, but when I tried to order some more recently, I was told that the unhulled hato mugi is no longer being exported from Japan.
Do you have any idea where I could buy some?