Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat cultivation originated around the 6th millennium BC in the region of what is now Yunnan Province in southwestern China. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as Fagopyrum tataricum, a domesticated food plant raised in Asia. Despite its name, buckwheat is not closely related to wheat, nor is it a cereal or a member of the grass family. It is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb. Buckwheat is considered a pseudocereal because the high starch content of the seeds enables buckwheat to be cooked and consumed like a cereal. In the U.S., local varieties of buckwheat, tame buckwheat, is considered an economic threat, since many people in the Asian markets are highly allergic. Grain elevators use a zero tolerance policy where the occurrence of buckwheat in a load of grain means the entire load is rejected. Buckwheat allergy is especially common in Japan, with potential reactions almost as severe as peanut allergy.

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