MILLET in Your Meals

MILLET in your Meals Issued in public interest by - An ISO 22000 Company Publication supported by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) Let’s welcome Millets back into our meals Millets - Millet is the name given to a group of cereals other than wheat, rice, maize & barley. They are mostly tiny in size, round in shape & ready for usage as it is. It is acknowledged that during the Stone Age, the Millet plant was grown by the lake inhabitants of Switzerland. History reveals that since the Neolithic Era, millet, a prehistoric seed was cultivated in the dry climates of Africa and northern China. Interestingly it was millets and not rice that was a staple food in Indian, Chinese Neolithic and Korean civilizations. Eventually, millets spread all over the world. It was heavy, it was tall, It sprouted, it eared, It nodded, it hung, Indeed the lucky grains were sent down to us The black millet, the double kernelled, millet, pink sprouted and white. So goes the folk song from China- a melodious litany to the treasure trove of nutrition, the oldest food know to mankind! There are about 6,000 varieties of millet throughout the world with grains varying in colour from pale yellow, to gray, white, and red. Archaeologists say that foxtail millet is so old that no wild plant of the species is known to exist today. The Millet Story - The origin of millet is diverse with varieties coming from both Africa and Asia. Pearl millet for example comes from tropical West Africa and finger millet from Uganda or neighboring areas. From African highlands, finger millet was taken to India about 3,000 years ago and to Europe at the beginning of the Christian era. Later, the crop was widely distributed both in many African countries as well as in the Indian subcontinent. They have been a part of the human food system from time immemorial. Many types of millet have been found in Harrapan & Mohenjadaro archaeological sites. Africa, the cradle of human civilization, the Mayans, Incas & Aztecs were known to use millets in their myriad culinary courses. The leader of the Shang Dynasty in the 2nd millennium BC was known as Hou Chi ‘The ruler of Millet’. Our own vedic scriptures like Sathapatha Brahmana have ample references to millets. Kalidasa, in his legendary literary masterpiece ‘Shakuntala’, has sage Kanva pouring foxtail millet while bidding farewell to Shakuntala in Dushanta’s court. The oldest historical roots of millet are to be found in China, where it was considered a sacred crop. One of the earliest recorded writings dates from 2800 BC giving directions for the growing and storing of the grain. During prehistoric times, people of Northern India were also cultivating millet. Millet's travel continued throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa where it became a staple. It further became typical food of the Sumerian diet about 2500 BC. Millet was even mentioned in the Hebrew bible. The idyllic Hanging Gardens of Babylon were said to have included millet among their treasured plants. Through trading with Eritrea and Somalia circa 3000 BC, the early Egyptians learned from the Africans how to cultivate millet, which would grow well in the dry Sahara, where wheat and barley were unable to thrive. Millets made its way from China to the Black Sea region of Europe by 5000 BC. Romans and Gauls made porridge from it, and in the Middle Ages millet was more extensively eaten than wheat. The interesting fact is that the millet is also pointed out in the Bible, and was used during those days to prepare bread. Features of the Millet plant - Millets are tall, vertical annual grasses similar to Maize. They vary in appearance and size, depending on variety and grow in height from 1 to 15 feet. These plants usually have coarse stems and grow in opaque bunches with grass-like leaves. They are abundant and slim, measuring about an inch broad and can grow over 6 feet long. The seeds are covered in colored hulls, with color depending on diversity. Since millet is covered with an unusually hard to digest hull, it is necessary to hull it before it can be used. Hulling does not affect the nutrient value as the germ stays intact through this process. After hulling, millet grains appear as small yellow spheres. Vernacular Names of Millets ENGLISH OTHERS BOTANICAL HINDI KANNADA TAMIL TELEGU MALAYALAM Great Millet / Milo / Sorghum Chari Sorghum Vulgare Jowar Jola Cholam Jonnalu Cholum Spiked Pearl Millet / Pennisetum Gantilu / Millet Bullrush Typhoideum Bajra Sajje Kambu Sazzalu Kambu Finger Mandua Kelvargu / Millet Rajika Eleusine Coracana /Madua Ragi Kezhvaragu Ragulu Moothari Japanese Odalu / Barnyard Millet / Echinochloa Jhangora Bonta Millet Sawank Frumantacea / Shama Samai Kuthiravaali Chamula - Moha Millet / Navane / Foxtail Italian Priyangu Korra / Millet Millet Setarai Italica Kangni Thene Tenai Korralu Thina Kodo Pakodi / Paspalum Millet Manakodra Scrobiculatum Kodra Harka Varagu Arikelu Varagu French Millet / Proso Common Panicum Varigulu / Millet Millet Miliaceum Barri Baragu Panivaragu Varagalu Panivaragu Little Goudli / Millet Gondola Panicum Miliare Kutki Same Samai Sama Chama Amaranthus Species / Thotakoora Amaranth Arikisira Chakravarthikeerai - - Keerai Vidai Ginjalu Cheera Vitu ENGLISH MARATHI GUJRATHI BENGALI ORIYA KASHMIRI Sorghum Jwari Jowar Jowar Janha - Pearl Millet Bajri Bajri Bajra Bajra Bajru Bhav / Finger Nagali / Mandua Millet Nachni Bavto /Madua Mandia - Barnyard Millet Shamul Sama Shamula - - Foxtail Syama Millet Rala Ral Kang Dhan - Shol Kodo Millet Harik Kodra Kodoadhan Kodus Proso Millet Vari Vari - Chinna Pingu Little Millet Sava Gadro Kangani Suan Ganuhaar Amaranth - - - - - Types of Millets Jowar, Jola or Sorghum is a cereal perceived to be an important coarse grained food crop. It is cultivated widely across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and in parts of Rajasthan. Sorghum is rich in potassium and phosphorus and also has a good amount of calcium with small amounts of iron and sodium. Sorghum grain has high levels of iron and zinc and is hence being targeted as a means to reduce micronutrient malnutrition globally. Adding sorghum regularly in the meals of pregnant woman helps them attain requirements for minerals and vitamins in their diet. Jowar helps control heart problems, body weight and arthritis. Bajra, Sajje or Pearl Millet is an extensively grown variety of millet. It is grown in the African and Indian subcontinent from ancient times. It is known the world over as bird food and is usually grown in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana because it can adapt well to nutrient-poor, sandy soils in low rainfall areas. It is a tall, erect plant and grows from 6-15 ft in height. The plant produces an inflorescence with a dense spike-like panicle, which is brownish in colour. This millet is known to possess phytochemicals that lowers cholesterol. It also contains folate, magnesium, copper, zinc, and vitamins E and B- complex. "Bajra” has a high energy content compared to other flours. It is also rich in calcium and unsaturated fats which are good for the body. Baragu or Proso Millet – is one of the most nutritious and delicious temperate millet, also known as broom corn, common millet. Proso millet is well suited for many soil types and climate conditions. Compared to all millets proso is a short season crop, reaching maturity 60 to 75 days after planting. It is most frequently grown as a late seeded summer crop. Proso millet grows three to four feet. Its compact panicle droops at the top like an old broom, hence the name broom corn. Its round seeds are about 1/8 inch wide and covered by a smooth, glossy hull. The grain contains a comparatively high percentage of indigestible fibre because the seeds are enclosed in the hulls and are difficult to remove by conventional milling processes. Ragi or Finger millet is a short, profusely tillering plant with characteristic finger like terminal inflorescences, bearing small reddish seeds. Maturity of crop is between 3 to 6 months depending on the variety and growing conditions. The crop is adapted to fairly reliable rainfall conditions and has an extensive but shallow root system. It is an annual plant extensively grown as a cereal in the dry areas of India, especially southern part of India. Ragi contains high amount of calcium, protein with well balanced essential amino acids composition along with Vitamin A, Vitamin B and phosphorous. It also contains high amount of calcium. Ragi flour in Karnataka is mostly prepared into ragi balls, popularly known as ragi mudde, made into flatbreads, leavened dosa and thinner, unleavened rotis. Its high fiber content also checks constipation, high blood cholesterol and intestinal cancer. Navane or Foxtail millet is a gluten free grain is and the second most commonly grown species. It is one of the oldest cultivated millet. Generally grown in semi-arid regions, it has a low water requirement, though it does not recover well from drought conditions because it has a shallow root system. Successful production is due almost entirely to its short growing season. It matures in 65-70 days. Foxtail millet can be planted when it is too late to plant most other crops. It forms a slender, erect, leafy stem varying in height from 1-5 ft. Seeds are borne in a spike-like, compressed panicle resembling yellow foxtail, green foxtail, or giant foxtail. The grains are very similar to paddy rice in grain structure. They contain an outer husk, which needs to be removed in order to be used. Araka or Kodo millet was domesticated in India almost 3000 years ago. It is found across the old world in humid habitats of tropics and subtropics. It is a minor grain crop in India, and an important crop in the Deccan plateau.

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