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Spelt is wheat and nothing all thqt unusual about it beyond the adherent
glumes, which represents a gene or two difference from normal bread wheat.
There are slight variations in analysis of any given sample in comparison
with an arbitrary sample or samples of bread wheat, but these differences
don't impress me.  It may have a slightly different flavor from normal bread
wheat, as does durum wheat.  I don't know about this as I have never eaten
spelt although I have worked with it in the laboratory. On the basis of my
experience in blind testing of someone with allergy who felt they could eat
spelt, I would say that spelt is not suitable for use by people allergic to
wheat and certainly is not suitable for anyone with celiac disease.
 
Don Kasarda, Albany, CA
 
>There was an article by Paul Heiney in the Times (UK Newspaper) on
>Saturday 21st September on this very old variety of wheat which goes
>back in the UK to Roman times.  The flour is very high in protein
>vitamins and minerals and the finished bread does contain gluten which
>the growers say can be eaten by people normally intollerant to gluten.
>Does anybody have experience of this flour?  Are there any medical or
>scientific opions on this variety of wheat? Is this similar to the Oats
>debate?
>--
>Deryk Ford