Some are toughting barley as the diabetic "rice". I don't know about you but just because something looks similar doesn't mean it's the same ... think of cauliflower and potatoes. That being said, I do think barley is tasty, especially in soups. You'll just have to try it and then form your own opinion.
Here's a snippet from an article at dLife.com. The link to the full article is at the end.
Bountiful Barley: The Low GI Grain
By Elizabeth Keyser
Nutty in flavor, springy and slightly chewy in texture, barley is an ancient grain
that's new again. Get a load of its nutritional content and glycemic index ranking
(the lowest!), and you'll want to have some on hand at all times. Different barley
preparations can have a delicious place at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and, surprise,
even dessert (just swap out half of a recipe's regular flour for the same amount of
barley flour).
Barley's high fiber content makes it a diabetes superfood -- and is one of the
reasons it has less impact on blood sugar than other grains. One-half cup of
cooked whole hulled barley (1/4 cup uncooked) provides 8 grams of fiber -- that's
30 percent of your daily requirement. Plus it's high in minerals such as
manganese, selenium, and iron, and vitamins such as niacin and B-6.
Many variations of barley are available. They differ in nutritional value and
preparation time.
