Bob's Red Mill Organic Creamy Buckwheat Hot Cereal, 18 oz

Despite the name, buckwheat is not a wheat at all. It is the seed of a flowering plant related to rhubarb and sorrel, eaten as porridge across Eastern Europe and Russia for generations. Bob's Red Mill mills raw buckwheat groats down to a fine meal, so it cooks into a soft, spoonable breakfast bowl rather than staying as separate kernels.

If cream of wheat is your reference point, this sits in the same place at the table but tastes distinctly its own: earthy, faintly nutty, darker in the pan. It cooks on the stovetop in a few minutes, and the amount of water you use decides everything about the result, from a stiff porridge that holds a spoon upright to a looser, pourable bowl.

Most cooks eat it hot with sliced banana and maple syrup. It also chills firm overnight, which is why some people pour the leftovers into a loaf pan and fry slices the next morning.