ABOUT FARRO: Farro, a high-protein, high-fiber ancient whole-grain wheat, figures prominently in the Mediterranean diet. It looks similar to barley, though with a slightly more oblong and larger grain. Like barley, farro retains a notable amount of chew when it gets cooked. Farro and barley can be used interchangeably in most recipes. Farro is a wheat product and contains gluten. In the United States, almost all farro is sold pearled, which means the bran has been removed so it needs less cooking time than whole farro, which has the bran intact. There is also semi-pearled farro, which retains some of the bran and is the most common variety found in Italy. Most producers recommend soaking whole farro overnight to shorten the cooking time. If you soaked the farro overnight, it'll be al dente in about 10 to 15 minutes. If you didn't soak the farro at all, start checking it after about 25 or 30 minutes.