In ancient Slavs buckwheat porridge was considered food of the heroes, and brought it to Russia from Greece. The motherland of buckwheat is the highlands of the Himalayas, where its wild species still grow. In Russia the name buckwheat came from the supplier country - Greece, but in Western Europe (Portugal, Spain and France) it was called Arabian or Saracen grains.
Germans called buckwheat groats pagan grain, Finns - Tatar, and Italians and the Greeks themselves - the Turkish grain. In Asia, the Indians gave the buckwheat the name black rice, some countries - black wheat, Western Slavs - Slovaks and Czechs - call it a toadstool.
Koreans make traditional buns from buckwheat flour for each holiday, which are called sae mekmuk. In the country of the rising sun, even liqueurs, jam and chocolate are made from it.
But the British and Americans call it buckwheat, which means deer wheat. The French, however, grow it solely for the sake of buckwheat honey, which is considered the most useful and delicious! And not for nothing, because it is so effective against colds and flu.
