Hulled barley refers to covered barley that has been minimally processed to remove only the tough inedible outer hull. Hulled barley may be purchased in several forms including kernels (berries), cut (grits), flaked or ground (meal or flour).
Hulless barley refers to a type of barley in which the tough inedible outer hull is loosely adhered to the kernel. The outer hull is so loose, that when this barley is harvested in the field, the outer hull usually falls off. Processors often refer to this type of barley as “naked” barley. Hulless barley requires little to no processing to remove the tough inedible outer hull. Because this product requires minimal cleaning, most of the brand and endosperm is left intact and the germ is present.