Durra (
Sorghum bicolor) is a
cereal grass which is extensively cultivated in
tropical and semi-tropical countries, where the
grain, made into
bread, forms an important article of
diet.
In non-
Arabic-speaking countries it is known by other names, such as
Indian millet,
African millet,
pearl millet,
Guinea corn and
Kaffir corn. In
India it is called
jowari, also spelled
jowaree,
jawari, etc.
Richard Pankhurst reports (citing A.B. Wylde) that in 19th-century
Ethiopia, Durra was "often the first crop sown on newly cultivated land", explaining that this cereal did not require the thorough ploughing other crops did, and its roots not only decomposed into a good fertilizer, but they also helped to break up the soil while not exhausting the
subsoil.
See also
