
A brown top millet (Brachiaria Ramosa) plant. More than 30 tillers from a single seed. Observed in a millet farm just outside Kadiri, AP in Oct. 2015.
Millets are special.
There are many different grains, at least 10 of them, that are broadly classified as millets. Millets are rain fed crops that have been cultivated for many a millennia in pretty much all parts of the world. If you are interested to read more about pre-historic food grains and our attempts to understand and reconstruct their movements back then, do check out this amazing resource from Cambridge University.
As one would expect of something done by generation after generation in many many places – there are thousands of varieties of each millet. Think about it, from an evolutionary perspective, each of these traditional local varieties have survived the floods, the droughts, the hail storms, and what not. Their resilience is also evident in how preferred a food source millets are to birds, grazing animals and many other players in the ecosystem. Each variety is a specialization to the local climate, soil and culture.
And most importantly, to our discussion here and to the broader appreciation of ‘the other’, each variation has its own bouquet of flavors, size and cooking characteristic. Grains from the same farm, cultivated by the same farmer will have a small variation from the normal based on whether the rains were normal, deficient or excess that year.
Given that most millets are short duration crops, and the period with grains on the plant (aka reproductive stage) is a fraction of that time, I would expect that the degree of influence that shortened day light would have on the quality of the grain would be significant and appreciable.
No wonder then that the foxtail millet grown on a east facing hill slope will cook and taste different from the foxtail millet harvested of the same seed but grown in the plains a few kms away.
So thus I rest my case that Millets are the new wine.
PS: I was inspired to write this after cooking and eating the heavenly kodo millet rice that from Kaulige Foods yesterday. Unfortunately, I did not take any photographs before it disappeared off our plates. I shall post about it in a few days when we cook this the next time.
[…] via Millets are the new Wine — Millets […]
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Hi,
I am a millet-phile. Your article seems really promising for my community. I belong to a comunity in India where finger millet is the staple diet and millet wine is an age old traditional drink. I would like to contact you regarding the “amazing resource from Cambridge University” which you posted and indeed it’s a New wine !!!! which soon going to capture the global market.
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That is so cool ! Do share your insights on using finger (and other) millets in your community.
Yes, feel free to contact me to discuss about this and other opportunities in the millet value chain. I would be more than happy to be of some help in your endeavours.
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Thanks..! Can I have your email Id for the detail conversation about this topic.?
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You can as I you click on my gravatar pic I believe. Anyway I can be reached at dwiji@themillet.org
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Oh yes..!! Honestly speaking, I am actually a new blogger.Your article was my second read after #brandingofbeer blogger’s article’Hops: Not just for beer’……
so ……..
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Welcome to blogging ! Looking forward to your email or blog post to know more about what you do and want to do using millets!!
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Yap sure…:D
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sure
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Hi can some one tell me what is the profit if i grow little millet in 1/2 acre land and what will be the cost
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So are we soon to expect millet tasting events with connoisseurs invited to comment on the character and ambience of every variety of millet and millet preparation?
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yes, indeed. Soon. To begin with, one can do a side by side comparison of different millets (and their variations) in their rice form and cooked the same way. Though right now, frankly, I am focusing my energies on supporting more producers overcome the processing hurdles and getting their stuff out into the local market place. But yes, as I have looked at, and tried, millets from different places, of different varieties, processed using different machines/methods, the beauty of the variations does give me a high ! And its always fun to share things that gives one a high 🙂
Of course, we would not want to make these tasting events a high-brow thing. Will need to work out something more open yet not too heavy on those organizing it. More on this soon. Do share if you have any ideas.
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I was actually just kidding.
Of course, I think the trend of having millet festivals and recipe contests is picking up and has the potential to appeal to common people especially if held in open air venues as opposed to malls etc. I am also trying to ask the local provisions stored to carry millets, and buying from them whenever possible – they usually have jowar, bajra and ragi. Some have started carrying little millet as well.
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Hi Aravinda,
I kind of got it 🙂 but hey, I was not kidding in the original post nor the earlier comment. Millet festivals and recipe contests are a good idea and we need to encourage and organize more of those. And totally agree with encouraging local businesses to start stocking these grains – very happy to hear that you are able to find little millet in local stores, is this in Mumbai? Do share which parts, we will post their details in the where to buy page.
Dear Millet-philes,
There are two perspectives I am approaching the millet tasting issue from, do share your opinion on these.
In essence, I am saying that we should revive traditional millet foods. And at the same time, recognize something that is very apparent to us in the globalized world that we live in today – that millets are not just traditional and nutritious, they are, to put it in simple terms, the new wine.
🙂
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