Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum)

Fagopyrum tataricum, Tartary buckwheat or phapar, is a hardy grain of the high Himalaya, grown in Ladakh, Lahaul, Kinnaur, Uttarakhand and Sikkim where few other crops survive. Its grains are more bitter than common buckwheat because they contain far more rutin. In the hills it is made into rotis, pancakes and porridge. It is not the kuttu of fasting days, which is common buckwheat.

Botanical name: Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn.
Family: Polygonaceae
Tamil: Tartary buckwheat
Hindi: Phapar
Parts used: Groats, Flour
Habit: Bitter groat; common buckwheat is F. esculentum
Last updated: 2026-10-25

How to recognise Tartary buckwheat

It is an annual herb with heart-shaped to arrow-shaped leaves and branching, reddish stems.

The flowers are small and greenish-white, in loose clusters, and less showy than the pink-white flowers of common buckwheat.

The grains are small, dull grey-brown and three-angled, with wavy edges and notched corners, unlike the smooth, sharp-angled grains of common buckwheat.

Common buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum, is the source of kuttu atta eaten during Navratri.

Traditional use of Tartary buckwheat

Himalayan food

Phapar flour is made into thick rotis and pancakes, often eaten with butter or yoghurt, and the leaves are cooked as greens.

Western Himalayan food practice

Modern notes on Tartary buckwheat

Tartary buckwheat contains much more rutin and quercetin than common buckwheat. That accounts for the bitterness, and it is the subject of nutrition research.

Being self-pollinating and frost-tolerant, it yields more reliably than common buckwheat at high altitude.

Tartary buckwheat safety

Buckwheat can cause allergy in sensitive people. Buy flour fresh, because stale or poorly stored buckwheat flour has caused food-poisoning outbreaks in India.

Ecology and sourcing

It originated in the mountains of south-western China and the Himalaya.

It grows in cold, short seasons and poor soils, and it suits high-altitude farming.

Its cultivation has declined as rice and wheat reach the hills through markets, though interest in it is reviving.

Related plants

Also in Polygonaceae

Questions about Tartary buckwheat

Is phapar the same as kuttu?

No. Kuttu is common buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum.

Why is Tartary buckwheat bitter?

It is rich in rutin and other flavonoids.

Is buckwheat a cereal?

No. It is a pseudocereal in the dock family, not a grass.

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.