What is "barley water"

Barley \Bar"ley\, n. [OE. barli, barlich, AS. b[ae]rlic; bere barley + l[=i]c (which is prob. the same as E. like, adj., or perh. a form of AS. le[=a]c leek). AS. bere is akin to Icel, barr barley, Goth. barizeins made of barley, L. far spelt; cf. W. barlys barley, bara bread. ?92. Cf. Farina, 6th Bear.] (Bot.) A valuable grain, of the family of grasses, genus Hordeum, used for food, and for making malt, from which are prepared beer, ale, and whisky.

Barley bird (Zo["o]l.), the siskin.

Barley sugar, sugar boiled till it is brittle (formerly with a decoction of barley) and candied.

Barley water, a decoction of barley, used in medicine, as a nutritive and demulcent.

alt. 1 (context British English) A soft drink made by boiling pearl barley with water, and adding flavouring and sugar 2 (context medicine archaic English) A decoction of barley used as a nutritive and demulcent. n. 1 (context British English) A soft drink made by boiling pearl barley with water, and adding flavouring and sugar 2 (context medicine archaic English) A decoction of barley used as a nutritive and demulcent.

n. used to feed infants

Barley water is a traditional drink consumed in various parts of the world. Drinking boiled grain in water, strained or not, is an ancient practice.

Variations of barley water include:

• Kykeon (Gr. κυκεών, from κυκάω, "to stir, to mix") was an ancient Greek drink made mainly of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. It was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast, but it was also a favourite drink of Greek peasants.
• The British version is made by boiling washed pearl barley, straining, then pouring the hot water over the rind and/or pulp of a lemon, adding fruit juice and sugar to taste. The rind may also be boiled with the barley.
• Eastern and Southeastern Asian versions are typically not strained and may be consumed hot or cold, with or without lime. These kinds of barley water generally include the strained grain within the drink. Hot barley water is often served with a spoon and cold barley water with a straw so that the soft-boiled grains can be eaten.
  • Roasted barley tea is also a popular East Asian drink, but the taste and texture are very different from barley water, with no barley in the tea.
• It is also a popular drink among Punjabi peasants. It is called 'sattu' in Punjabi.

Barley water has been used as a first baby food, before feeding with barley mush. It is also used as a home remedy for cystitis.