The
millets are a group of small-
seeded
species of
cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for
food and
fodder. They do not form a
taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult production environments such as those at risk of drought. They have been in cultivation in East Asia for the last 10,000 years.
[Lu H, Zhang J, Liu KB, Wu N, Li Y, Zhou K, Ye M, Zhang T, Zhang H, Yang X, Shen L, Xu D, Li Q. (2009). Earliest domestication of common millet (Panicum miliaceum) in East Asia extended to 10,000 years ago. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 106: 7367–7372 ]Millet varieties
The millets include species in several genera, mostly in the subfamily
Panicoideae, of the grass family
Poaceae. Of the major and minor millets (not including those plants sometimes called millet) all of the species are in the tribe Paniceae of the subfamily Panicoideae except for finger millet.
The most widely-cultivated species in order of worldwide production are.:
- Proso millet also known as common millet, broom corn millet, hog millet or white millet (Panicum miliaceum)
Minor millets include:
- Guinea millet (Brachiaria deflexa = Urochloa deflexa)
- Browntop millet (Urochloa ramosa = Brachiaria ramosa = Panicum ramosum)
Teff (
Eragrostis tef) and
fonio (
Digitaria exilis) are also often called millets, as more rarely are
sorghum (
Sorghum spp.) and
Job's Tears (
Coix lacrima-jobi).
History
Specialized archaeologists called
palaeoethnobotanists, relying on data such as the relative abundance of charred grains found in archaeological sites, hypothesize that the cultivation of millets was of greater prevalence in prehistory than rice, especially in northern China and Korea. It was millets, rather than
rice, that formed important parts of the prehistoric diet in Chinese Neolithic and Korean
Mumun societies. Broomcorn (
Panicum miliaceum) and
foxtail millet were important crops beginning in the Early
Neolithic of
China. For example, some of the earliest evidence of millet cultivation in China was found at
Cishan (north) and
Hemudu (south). Cishan dates for common millet husk
phytoliths and biomolecular components have been identified around 8300–6700 BC in storage pits along with remains of pit-houses, pottery, and stone tools related to millet cultivation.
Evidence at Chishan for foxtail millet dates back to around 6500 BC.
A 4,000-year-old well-preserved bowl containing well-preserved noodles made from foxtail millet and
broomcorn millet was found at the
Lajia archaeological site in
China.
Palaeoethnobotanists have found evidence of the cultivation of millet in the
Korean Peninsula dating to the Middle
Jeulmun pottery period (c. 3500–2000 BC) (Crawford 1992; Crawford and Lee 2003). Millet continued to be an important element in the intensive, multi-cropping agriculture of the
Mumun pottery period (c. 1500–300 BC) in Korea (Crawford and Lee 2003). Millets and their wild ancestors such as
barnyard grass and
panic grass were also cultivated in
Japan during the
Jōmon period some time after 4000 BCE (Crawford 1983, 1992).
Millet made its way from China to the Black Sea region of
Europe by 5000 BCE.
[Lawler, A. (2009). Bridging East and West: Millet on the move. Science, 942-943. ] The cultivation of common millet as the earliest dry crop in East Asia has been attributed to its resistance to drought
and this has been suggested to have aided its spread.
Major research on millets is carried out by the
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in
Andhra Pradesh,
India, and by the
USDA-ARS at
Tifton, Georgia,
USA.
Production
thumb|right|240px|Millet fields in the [[Annapurna-region of
Nepal.]]
India is the world's main producer of millet.
Millet output in 2005
Current uses of millet
As a food source
Millets are major food sources in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, and feature in the traditional cuisine of many others. In Western India,
Sorghum (called "
Jowar" in
Gujarati and
Marathi, Ragi in
Kannada) has been commonly used with millet flour (called "
Bajari" in Western India) for hundreds of years to make the local staple flat bread (called "Rotla" in Gujarati or "
Bhakri" in Marathi or
Ragi Rotti in Kannada.
Ragi Mudde is a popular meal in Southern India).
Millet
porridge is a traditional food in both
Russian and
Chinese сuisines. In Russia it is eaten sweet (with milk and sugar added at the end of cooking process) or savoury with meat or vegetable stews. In China it is eaten without milk or sugar, frequently with beans, sweet potato, and / or various types of squash.
People with
coeliac disease can replace certain gluten-containing cereals in their diets with millet.
Millets are also used as bird and animal feed.
Alcoholic beverages
Millets are traditionally important grains used in brewing
millet beer in some cultures, for instance by the
Tao people of
Orchid Island, China, and, along with
sorghum, by various peoples in East Africa. It is also the base ingredient for the distilled liquor
rakshi in Nepal and the indigenous alcoholic drink of the Sherpa, Tamang, and Limbu people,
tongba, in Eastern Nepal. In
Balkan countries, especially Romania and Bulgaria, millet is used to prepare the fermented drink
boza.
Other uses
Millet, along with
birdseed, is commonly used as fillings for
juggling beanbags.
millet
Nutrition
The protein content in millet is very close to that of
wheat; both provide about 11% protein by weight.
Millets are rich in B vitamins, especially
niacin, B6 and
folic acid,
calcium,
iron,
potassium,
magnesium, and
zinc. Millets contain no
gluten, so they are not suitable for raised bread. When combined with
wheat, (or
xanthan gum for those who have
coeliac disease), they can be used for raised bread. Alone, they are suited for
flatbread.
As none of the millets are closely related to wheat, they are appropriate foods for those with
coeliac disease or other forms of allergies/intolerance of wheat. However, millets are also a mild
thyroid peroxidase inhibitor and probably should not be consumed in great quantities by those with
thyroid diseasePreparation
The basic preparation consists in washing the millet and toasting it while moving until one notes a characteristic scent. Then five measures of boiling water for each two measures of millet are added with some sugar or salt. The mixture is cooked covered using low flame for 30–35 minutes.
