What is the difference between hulled, hull-less, and pearled barley?
Barley grain comes off the plant in two “styles”: with adhering hulls and without adhering hulls. One gene (NUD) determines whether or not the hulls (lemma and palea) adhere to the grain. If the hulls adhere, the barley is (correctly) termed “hulled”. Most barley varieties in most of the world are hulled. The hulls can be removed by vigorous mechanical abrasion, in which case the barley is “pearled”. If the hulls do not adhere, the barley is said to be hull-less (or naked). At first glance, hull-less barley looks like wheat. On closer inspection, there are subtle differences in grain shape and size. Hull-less barley varieties were formerly found in far corners of the world (such as the Himalayas and Andes) where barley remained a key part of human diets. With the burgeoning interest in whole grains (and a desire to dispense with pearling), there are more hull-less varieties available. Hull-less barley requires twice the cooking time (and liquid) as pearled barley. Hulled, pearled, and
