Barley Water
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the barley
Blanch the barley by placing it in a pan with enough cold water to cover it.
Bring to a boil, then drain the water.
Simmer and strain
Add the blanched barley and ½ pint of water to the pan.
Simmer slowly until reduced to ⅓ pint, then strain.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Pearl barley
- Its starch thickens the liquid slightly and gives the water a mild, grainy flavour.
The step that matters
Blanching the barley. Boiling the barley briefly and discarding that water removes surface impurities and bitter compounds, so the final drink tastes clean rather than dusty or harsh.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More barley water recipes
You might also like
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Raspberry Vinegar214 recipes
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipes
Blackberry Cordial129 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.