What is Bulgar? Learn Cooking Tips, Recipes and Nutrition Facts about Bulgar

What is Bulgar? Learn Cooking Tips, Recipes and Nutrition Facts about Bulgar
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Bulgar or Bulgur? What is it?

What is bulgar? Bulgar, also spelled “bulgur”, is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat. This grain is commonly found in stores selling health food, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fare.

Sunnyland mills describes bulgar as a “form of whole wheat that has been cleaned, parboiled, dried, ground into particles and sifted in distinct sizes.”

Bulgar Nutrition Information

The nutrition information about bulgar differs between dry and cooked. According to Nutrition Data, one cup of cooked bulgur has 151 calories and zero fat grams. One cup of dry bulgur has 479 calories and two grams of fat. The difference is primarily because of the mass involved. It does not take one cup of dry bulgur to make one cup of cooked bulgur. Therefore, the nutrition information will be significantly different when the two are compared.

Additional information regarding the nutritional value of bulgur is as follows:

Dry – one cup

  • 0mg cholesterol
  • 24mg sodium
  • 106g carbohydrates
  • 17g protein
  • 5% *RDA calcium
  • 19% RDA iron

Cooked – one cup

  • 0mg cholesterol
  • 9mg sodium
  • 34g carbohydrates
  • 6g protein
  • 2% RDA calcium
  • 10% RDA iron

*RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In an article published in the New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope explores the various health benefits of bulgur. In her article, she defines it as precooked wheat berries and as a low-glycemic index (GI) food.

How to Cook Bulgar

In Tara Parker-Pope’s article, she states that bulgur can be reconstituted in about 20 minutes by ‘soaking or simmering’. She also states it is a healthy substitute for rice due to having ‘more fiber and nutrients,’ as well as its low GI factor.

Sunnyland Mills provides a free bulgar cooking guide that bases the directions on the type of bulgur being used. Its important that cooked bulgar not be mushy. It should also be noted that bulrar can be cooked in stock rather than water.

The basic formula for cooking bulgar is one part bulgar to two parts boiling water or stock, with a little salt added for flavor.

Bulgar Recipes

The New York Times article has links to recipes for Bulgar, but that is far from the only source of recipes for cooking with bulgar. One recipe source is Epicurious. Other good sources would be recipe sites and magazines or books focused on vegetarian cooking, cooking with wheat, Middle Eastern cooking and Mediterranean cooking.

Conclusion

So, what is bulgar? Bulgar is a nutritious grain product that can be used instead of rice, has a low glycemic index and should be tried by anyone who enjoys trying new foods.

Have your own recipes, tips and tricks for cooking with bulgar? Please share them in the comments section below.

References

About Bulgur Wheat. Sunnyland Mills. https://sunnylandmills.com/bulgur_wheat_about.shtml

Bulgur nutrition data: cooked, dry. https://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-bulgur000000000000000000000.html

The Benefits of Bulgur. Tara Parker-Pope. The New York Times (Health). February 12, 2010. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/the-benefits-of-bulgur/