Despite it’s name, buckwheat is neither a wheat nor a grain. Botanically a fruit, this favorite pancake-ingredient got its name from the Dutch word bockweit. Buckwheat enjoys a few nutritional perks over wheat: it is much higher in the amino acid lysine, somewhat higher in vitamin E, and is much lower in gluten, an important difference to gluten-sensitive individuals. Buckwheat does have some fiber, primarily of the soluble type, but it is less of a source of fiber than wheat and many of the other grains. Buckwheat is the main ingredient in a rice-like Eastern European dish called kasha that is often served as a kasha-pilaf. In pancake batter, the combination of eggs and buckwheat make buckwheat pancakes a complete protein.
