Nutritional Aspects of Buckwheat in the Czech Republic

This chapter provides comprehensive information about buckwheat history, cultivation, and traditional and current utilization in the Czech territory. The last few decades have seen a significant increase in the utilization, demand, and growth of healthy buckwheat products. Nowadays, common buckwheat is one of the main cash crops in Czech organic production. Several studies have highlighted the great impact buckwheat has on human health because of the absence of gluten and its well-balanced amino acid composition, fiber, minerals, fat, vitamins, and bioflavonoids; these attributes are discussed taking into account the current research on buckwheat done in the Czech Republic. In addition, the original research data regarding nutritive components from 3 years of experimentation in common and Tartary buckwheat are included. There is also an emphasis on the elevated content of amino acids in buckwheat, the significant levels of minerals and vitamins mainly in common buckwheat, and the higher content of bioflavonoids present in Tartary buckwheat. Dietary aspects of buckwheat consumption on human health highlight its attractiveness for developing new functional cereals-based products.