Group · Cereals & grains
Freekeh
Freekeh, or frik, is durum wheat harvested green, before it is ripe, then roasted over fire and cracked. This Levantine technique, thousands of years old, gives it a characteristic smoky flavour and a make-up different from that of ripe wheat.
On nutrition facts, raw, it shows 323 kcal per 100 g, with 55.8 g of carbohydrate, 10.3 g of protein and above all 19.3 g of fibre, an exceptional level, well above all common grains. It provides 5.2 mg of iron, 114 mg of magnesium and 512 mg of potassium per 100 g.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 323 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 1360 kJ |
| Protein | 10,3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 55,8 g |
| Fat | 2,3 g |
| Fibre | 19,3 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Manganese3,6 mg180 %
- Phosphorus321 mg46 %
- Iron5,2 mg37 %
- Zinc3,6 mg36 %
- Magnesium114 mg30 %
- Potassium512 mg26 %
- Vitamin B10,24 mg22 %
- Vitamin B33,49 mg22 %
- Vitamin B9dietary folate equivalents68,2 µg
See the other 5 nutrients
- Vitamin B50,82 mg14 %
- Vitamin B60,14 mg10 %
- Vitamin B20,09 mg6 %
- Calcium50,3 mg6 %
- Vitamin A2,08 µg0 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
19.3 g of fibre: no common grain comes close. Wholewheat tops out much lower. Harvesting before maturity explains the gap: the cell walls are still dense and the starch is incompletely formed.
This figure is for the raw grain. A 60 g dry portion gives about 180 g cooked: count roughly eleven grams of fibre on the plate, which is still remarkable, nearly half of the recommended daily intake.
Introduce it gradually. Such a high fibre density can surprise a digestive system that is not used to it. Start by mixing it half and half with couscous or rice.
It is cooked like bulgur, by absorption. Two volumes of water or stock to one of freekeh, twenty minutes with the lid on. Its smoky flavour is enough on its own: there is no need to load it with spices.
It contains gluten. It is wheat, just harvested earlier: it is therefore off the menu with coeliac disease, just like spelt.
Sources
Average nutrition values per 100 g, given for guidance (spices and condiments are eaten in small amounts; values vary by brand and preparation).