Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)

Common buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum, is kuttu, whose triangular seeds are ground into the flour many North Indians eat on fasting days such as Navratri. Despite its name it is not wheat or even a grass. It is a relative of rhubarb and dock, and it contains no gluten. Fresh, well-stored flour is a good food, while stale or adulterated kuttu atta has caused mass food poisoning.

Botanical name: Fagopyrum esculentum Moench
Family: Polygonaceae
Tamil: Kuttu
Hindi: Kuttu
Parts used: Groats, Flour
Habit: Pseudocereal; buckwheat is a shop word
Last updated: 2026-10-26

How to recognise Buckwheat

It is a fast-growing annual, usually knee- to waist-high, with reddish stems and heart- to arrow-shaped leaves.

Small white to pink flowers grow in dense clusters and are rich in nectar, much visited by bees.

The seeds are three-sided, dark brown to black, with sharp, smooth edges. Hulled, they are the pale groats.

Tartary buckwheat, Fagopyrum tataricum (phapar), has smaller, dull, wavy-edged seeds, inconspicuous greenish flowers and a more bitter taste.

Traditional use of Buckwheat

Fasting food

Kuttu atta is made into puris, pakoras and rotis during Navratri and other vrat days, because it is not counted as a grain.

North Indian food practice

Hill farming

In the Himalaya buckwheat is grown as a short-season crop in cool valleys, and the leaves are eaten as greens.

Himalayan farm practice

Modern notes on Buckwheat

Buckwheat is gluten-free and rich in protein, fibre and the flavonoid rutin. That makes it a useful grain for people with coeliac disease, provided it is not mixed with wheat.

Food-safety officials warn that kuttu flour goes stale and can carry contamination. Several outbreaks of illness after eating it during Navratri have been traced to poor-quality flour.

Buckwheat safety

Buy fresh, sealed flour from reliable sources and use it quickly. Buckwheat can cause serious allergy in some people.

Ecology and sourcing

It originated in south-western China and the eastern Himalaya, and it spread across Asia and Europe.

It matures in about ten to twelve weeks and suppresses weeds, so farmers use it as a smother crop and bee forage.

Beekeepers value buckwheat honey, which is dark and strong-flavoured.

Related plants

Also in Polygonaceae

Questions about Buckwheat

Is kuttu a grain?

It is a pseudocereal, a seed used like a grain, from a plant in the dock family.

Is buckwheat gluten-free?

Yes, if it has not been mixed with wheat flour.

Is Buckwheat the same as phapar?

No. Phapar is Tartary buckwheat, Fagopyrum tataricum.

Sources

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.