Let me apologize in advance for asking what is probably a totally stupid question! =)

I have a recipe that calls for "dry whole barley". Is "pearled barley" the same thing?

Thanks in advance.

Pearled barley is pre-steamed or "quick" barley and takes about 15 to 20 minutes instead of 45 minutes to fully cook. If your recipe calls for plain barley, you should be able to use pearled and shorten the cooking time. Not stupid at all. I used whole barley in my first recipe and couldn't understand why it was so nutty (almost impossible to eat). The recipe was for pearled.