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In an excess of zeal to remain tidy (or to get tidy, rather), I discarded the bag and can no longer recall whether it was bulgur (bulgar, bulghur, ..) or cracked wheat.

bulgur or cracked wheat

Cracked wheat is "raw". Bulgur is parboiled. Some recipes call for one; other recipes for the other.

How do I determine whether a particular container has bulgur or cracked wheat.

Possibly, the difference in use is small. Might one boil and adjust the cooking time by tasting (as if seeking some kind of al dente)?

Conclusion

Luckily the methods provided by Tesujin and by FuzzyChef give the same answer. It is bulgur. In an update I (or anyone) could post pictures comparing cracked wheat next to bulgur—perhaps with bright light to make the translucence evident. Meanwhile I'll check-mark Tetsujin's answer since it provides a method that anyone can use, not just me for this particular sample.

Sam7919
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2 Answers2

14

Cook some of each.

The one that's done in 20 mins or so is bulgur. [I tend towards 1:1.6 bulgur:water, 15 mins simmer, 15 mins rest.]
The one that eventually needs more water adding & takes at least another half hour is cracked wheat.

…then label them ;))

Alternatively, the heat-free method.
Soak both overnight in excess water. The edible one is bulgur.

Tetsujin
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5

Based on the appearance, that's bulgur (we eat a lot of bulgur). #3 size.

The bran on cracked wheat is more opaque and sometimes more colorful. In bulgur, it's translucent as it is in your photo, and hard to distinguish from the endosperm.

FuzzyChef
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