<RJ> > wrote:

> Yet, most recipes I find include;
> " coat groats with egg-white, then pan-toast"
>
> What does the egg-white do ? ( seems it wouuld just scorch )
> Any speculation ?

If coated with beaten whole eggs (not egg whites) buckwheat groats are
toasted very lightly in a pan or, better still, in a low oven, only to
let them dry and maybe take up some colour. Often, eggs are added in
the middle or at the end of toasting, not before it. Nothing is
supposed to scorch. This method is traditionally used to cook so-called
"downy" kasha, which is rubbed through a sieve.

There are many ways of cooking buckwheat groats, just as there are many
ways of cooking other grains and cereals. Various kasha types can be
made with most any grains or groats. Kasha is a dish, not an arbitrary
ingredient. Besides, grains and groats can each be of different types,
too: whole large kernels, whole small kernels, split kernels. They are
not always treated the same way, as using them results in different
consistencies and textures.

Victor