Teff: November millet-of-the-month
Teff (Eragrostis tef) is our millet-of-the-month in November. Teff is native to the Horn of Africa, and a staple in that region - often eaten in the form of injera bread, made with fermented teff flour. Ninety percent or more of grain teff is grown in Ethiopia. However interest in this grain has led to its being grown in other regions, including in North America (certain parts of the US, the northwest in particular it seems). Some teff is exported from Ethiopia, but most of what one sees in some US groceries is grown domestically (Maskal, Bob's Red Mill, Selam, Shiloh Farms, to name a few). Supposedly, Idaho is the second largest producer of grain teff in the world. Brown teff seems more common, but there are lighter varieties too, generally called "ivory teff." The former has a somewhat more robust flavor, but the two apparently have different characteristics in baking. Teff has also become a popular forage crop in the US and Canada. It is grown for hay or grazing apparently in half the US states, although presumably on relatively small scales. Here are a few links for more information: * General information ** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teff ** https://www.britannica.com/plant/teff ** https://foodrevolution.org/blog/teff/ * Teff in the US ** https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/east-african-grain-teff-grows-in-popul... ** https://boisedev.com/news/2022/09/09/whats-teff-idaho-second-highest-produce... * Culinary aspects of teff ** https://creativeinmykitchen.com/all-about-teff-the-ancient-grain-gaining-pop... ** https://www.thespruceeats.com/teff-gluten-free-whole-grain-3376844 * Forage ** https://forages.osu.edu/sites/forages/files/imce/Teff%20for%20Forage%20Produ... * A perspective on teff in Ethiopia ** https://theconversation.com/ethiopia-needs-to-improve-production-of-its-gold... Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance
Quick addendum - November in the Whole Grains Council's "Grain of the Month" calendar has "Millet(s) and teff" listed. See: https://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/grain-month-calendar/millet-... Their grain calendar was one of the inspirations for our "Millet of the Month" calendar, and these overlap in June with sorghum, and this month with teff. NAMA of course expands "millets" across the whole year. Here again is the current millet of the month calendar. For 2024. there has been a suggestion to move little millet to February, so that the Panicum species of millets would be in adjacent months. If you have any suggestions regarding this ordering, please let us know. Jan., proso millet, Panicum miliaceum Feb., finger millet, Eleusine coracana Mar., foxtail millet, Setaria italica Apr., pearl millet, Pennisetum glaucum May, fonio, Digitaria spp. June, sorghum, Sorghum bicolor July, barnyard millet, Echinochloa spp. Aug., little millet, Panicum sumatrense (plus P. hirticaule, sometimes called Sonoran millet) Sep., browntop & Guinea, Brachiaria spp. Oct., kodo millet, Paspalum scrobiculatum Nov., teff, Eragrostis tef Dec., adlay/Job’s Tears, Coix lacryma-jobi DO, EL, MI, US NAMA On Tue, Nov 28, 2023 at 10:27 PM Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org> wrote:
Teff (Eragrostis tef) is our millet-of-the-month in November. Teff is native to the Horn of Africa, and a staple in that region - often eaten in the form of injera bread, made with fermented teff flour.
Ninety percent or more of grain teff is grown in Ethiopia. However interest in this grain has led to its being grown in other regions, including in North America (certain parts of the US, the northwest in particular it seems). Some teff is exported from Ethiopia, but most of what one sees in some US groceries is grown domestically (Maskal, Bob's Red Mill, Selam, Shiloh Farms, to name a few). Supposedly, Idaho is the second largest producer of grain teff in the world.
Brown teff seems more common, but there are lighter varieties too, generally called "ivory teff." The former has a somewhat more robust flavor, but the two apparently have different characteristics in baking.
Teff has also become a popular forage crop in the US and Canada. It is grown for hay or grazing apparently in half the US states, although presumably on relatively small scales.
Here are a few links for more information: * General information ** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teff ** https://www.britannica.com/plant/teff ** https://foodrevolution.org/blog/teff/
* Teff in the US ** https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/east-african-grain-teff-grows-in-popul... ** https://boisedev.com/news/2022/09/09/whats-teff-idaho-second-highest-produce...
* Culinary aspects of teff ** https://creativeinmykitchen.com/all-about-teff-the-ancient-grain-gaining-pop... ** https://www.thespruceeats.com/teff-gluten-free-whole-grain-3376844
* Forage ** https://forages.osu.edu/sites/forages/files/imce/Teff%20for%20Forage%20Produ...
* A perspective on teff in Ethiopia ** https://theconversation.com/ethiopia-needs-to-improve-production-of-its-gold...
Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance
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Don Osborn