Real Food Encyclopedia | Millet
Millet is an umbrella for around 20 species of cereal grass from the Poaceae family, the seeds of which are harvested for grain. Various species include pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and finger (Eleusine coracana). Foxtail (Setaria italica) and proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) are often grown for birdseed and livestock fodder.
Some of them are known as “millet” in English — like pearl millet and finger millet, the major varieties in much of the world — while others, including teff and Job’s tears, have standalone names. They can be eaten as whole grains or used for breads, porridges and fritters, and are a staple crop for an estimated 90 million people.
As one of the oldest domesticated cereals, millet’s history stretches back to the Neolithic era. It’s mentioned in the Bible as one of the grains used to make bread. In ancient China, it was one of five sacred grains and the Chinese believed that it was brought from the heavens by Houji or “Lord Millet,” a culture hero worshiped as the founding ancestor of farming. While we associate China with rice, millet may have been the grain of choice in ancient times.
In Europe, millet follows a story seen time and again with other crops. Once an important part of the daily diet during the Roman Empire and Middle Ages, it became synonymous with the poor and fell out of favor. Its use as livestock feed hasn’t helped either.
While the cereal is primarily grown for animal feed in the U.S., in many parts of the developing world, especially in Africa, it’s a dietary staple and a main source of protein and energy. With millet’s resistance to drought in an era of shifting climate, it’s a grain waiting to be rediscovered. It’s got so much potential that the UN declared 2023 International Year of Millets.
Did you know?
- The most commonly grown variety is pearl millet, whose seed grows in cattail-like stalks. Other species of the cereal, referred to as minor millets, include finger, foxtail and barnyard (Echinochloa utilis). In India, finger millet is known as ragi, which is milled into a flour used in dosa and roti flatbreads.
- Although sorghum and teff (a grass native to Ethiopia) are often lumped in the same category with millet, they are separate cereals.
What to look for when buying millet
Millet, known for its small round seeds, comes in white, yellow and red varieties. You will likely find whole grain pearl millet or proso millet in health food or organic grocery stores. Keep an eye out also for fonio, a type of millet grown around West Africa and the Sahel region and currently being distributed in some U.S. stores.
Sustainability of millet
Water
Many millets are exceptionally drought-tolerant, capable of producing grain under conditions where other crops like wheat, rice and corn would fail. This makes them popular crops in water-stressed regions of the world like the African Sahel and Northern India, where farmers rely on a short rainy season and have limited access to irrigation. This also makes it an increasingly popular crop for farmers to add to rotations where rainfall is becoming unreliable, like the U.S. Great Plains. Because millets are generally grown without irrigation, they make a good choice if you’re looking to reduce the water footprint of your diet.
Pesticides
Millet is also generally grown without chemical pesticides and has a long tradition of sustainable farming practices in places like India, where a recent government push to use pesticides and chemical fertilizers in rural communities has met with deep resistance. It’s a bit of a hot topic in India, where some are championing a return to millet, a traditional food source that has fallen into obscurity after decades of shortsighted agricultural and environmental policies.
Seasonality
Millet is a warm season grass and is harvested in the late summer. Once milled, the grain is available all year round.
Geography
Most of the millet grown for the human consumption in the U.S. comes from Colorado. Other millet producing states include Nebraska and South Dakota. On a worldwide scale, India produces the most, followed by Nigeria and Niger.
Eating millet
Storing
At room temperature, the grain will keep in a sealed, dry container for a year or so. If you want your grain to last longer, you can store alternatively in the refrigerator.
Cooking with millet
Pro Tip: To get more flavor out of millet, toast the seeds lightly in a skillet for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Then cook as desired. A 2:1 water to grain ratio will get you a quinoa-like consistency. For porridge, use a 3:1 ratio and stir often. Season as needed.
Millet is a versatile grain and a nutritious substitution for rice or quinoa. It can be cooked into porridge, served like polenta, or turned into gluten-free pancakes. And in India, as mentioned previously, its flour is a key ingredient in many traditional flatbreads.
It also has a long history of being fermented or distilled into alcohol. In Africa, malted millet is brewed into a beer known variously as kaffir beer or bantu beer. Over in Nepal and Tibet, raksi is a traditional liquor distilled from millet.
Nutrition
Rich in B vitamins like niacin and thiamine, millet is a nutrient dense alternative to rice. One cup of cooked millet contains 12 percent of the recommended daily allowance of protein and is loaded with minerals manganese and phosphorous. Millet is also low glycemic and gluten-free.