Discover the ancient, gluten-free grain millet. Learn its benefits, uses, and nutritional value for a healthy lifestyle.
Discover the Nutritional Benefits and Culinary Uses of This Versatile Grain
Millet is an ancient grain that has a rich history and a variety of uses. Known for being gluten-free, it has gained popularity among those seeking alternatives to traditional grains. This versatile grain comes in several types, each with unique flavors and textures, making it suitable for a wide range of culinary applications. From porridge to salads, millet can be incorporated into many dishes, offering both nutritional benefits and a delightful taste.
The exploration of millet highlights not only its historical significance but also modern culinary trends that embrace this nutritious grain. As a staple in many cultures, millet has been used for centuries, and its adaptability continues to resonate in contemporary diets, especially for vegan and vegetarian lifestyles. Understanding how to prepare and utilize millet can enhance meal variety and provide health benefits, making it a valuable addition to any kitchen.
Discover the Timeless Grain: Unlocking the Secrets of Millet’s Nutritional Legacy
Welcome to August 2024 which means it is time to introduce a new grain for our grains Explorer Challenge and this month it is another ancient grain that is also gluten-free and is most commonly known here in America as bird seed yes you have probably seen it but as bird seed but it is a wonderful ancient grain and that is millet.
Hey y’all welcome back to grains and grit my name is Felicia and on this channel we talk all things real whole grains from a Biblical perspective so this month we are going to be exploring the grain Millet this is part of our grains Explorer challenge that we are doing for 2024 which means every month we are exploring a new grain to broaden.
Our Horizons to stretch our limits to be introduced to grains that you may not be very familiar with this is actually a grain that I have not tried myself but yet has been sitting on my shelf for a very long time now real quick before we begin this ex challenge is for anyone and everyone but for those of you who want to receive the full adventure extra.
Recipes and more be sure to join our exclusive Community the grainy Bunch we have a wonderful group of people live Hangouts every month um so just go to graining grit.com grains Explorer to find out more about this Challenge and also to sign it for the grainy Bunch as well and if you are new to this grains Explorer challenge then be sure to check.
Out the playlist up here to get caught up on all the grains that we have done so far and what we will be doing in the future in this video we’re going to be exploring the grain Millet and as always we will first be covering a history in general overview of the grain the nutritional benefits the types of millet that you can find what Millet is used.
For and then finally how you can use millet in your own kitchen for We Begin of course let me know in the comments Below have you tried Millet do you like it do you hate it what are your favorite recipes we all need to know all the things so let us know in the comments All right so first up a general history and overview of millet fascinating.
Little grain and is considered to be one of the ancient of Ancient Grains it is an ancient grain that dates back thousands of years it’s believed to come from East Asia and archaeologists believe that it was actually the first grain of China about a thousand years before Rice hit the scene there’s a lot of references to Millet through many.
Many different cultures Chinese myths attribute Millet domestication to shenon who is a legendary emperor of China and Hui whose name means Lord of millet in fact noodles made from Millet were found in a Chinese tomb that dates back to about 4,000 years ago and this is actually the oldest evidence of millet that has been found in China to date we.
See that Millet is mentioned in ancient biblical text we see it in the Book of Ezekiel chapter 49 in if that sounds familiar that is because Millet is listed as one of the grains used in the infamous Ezekiel bread recipe which I have done before so definitely be sure to try out Ezekiel bread to use millet this month the ancient Greek poet hesiod.
Mentioned Millet in one of his poems also the ancient Greek philosopher theopus I probably butchered his name sorry who was actually the successor to Aristotle he mentioned Millet along with wheat in his text inquire inquiry to plants written in 3rd Century BC I have to look at my notes for this one Fen chiu was written in 2800 BC and it lists.
Millet as one of the five sacred Chinese crops so bottom line we definitely have a wellestablished history that milet has been around for a very long time and is an ancient grain that is through Asian cultures India and even into the Middle East today it is grown in India Nigeria and other Asian and African countries and the really cool thing about it the.
Reason why it’s so popular is it is very drought resistant very it is it can be grown in very harsh conditions it doesn’t need fertile soil it can be grown in very poor soil it’s quite a resilient little plant probably why it’s been around for thousands of years India is currently the highest producer producing about 38% of the world Millet.
Which is about triple that of the next countries in line so they definitely are The prominent producer of millet and finally it is very similar to sorghum and is also in the same cereal family as wheat barley and rice next up the nutritional benefits of millet so as I already stated it is a gluten-free grain which is excellent for those people with.
Celiacs disease or those that truly need to stay away from gluten at all cost this is a way to get a great whole grain in their diets without gluten so as with all whole grains it is very rich in fiber both insoluable and soluable which is good for your gut good for your heart good for your body we all need fiber we need all the things so you will be.
Getting fiber so long as you’re consuming this as a whole grain it is also very rich in protein and calcium and has more essential amino acids than other cereal grains it is an excellent source of vitamin A which if you’ve been following me enough that is actually slightly deficient in wheat so this is a grain to have to counteract that slight.
Deficiency it’s also very rich in B vitamins phosphorus potassium antioxidants and iron oh and also nasin which is a B vitamin it’s also a low glycemic index food which is why on web ND they state that it actually is a very healthy whole grain for those with diabetes or needing to watch the foods that you eat that are going to spike.
Your blood sugar this means that it’s not going to really Spike that blood sugar so again like many whole grains many many benefits um but the key point points with Millet is that it is typically higher in calcium and rich in vitamin A as well now types of millet now there are about 6,000 varieties of millet which is insane but bottom line.
Is they basically go into two categories the first category is large or major Millet and the second category you guessed it is small or minor Millet large or major Millet is the most common and in those the most common we have the most common in those categories so in the large or major Millet category the most popular.
Varieties are Pearl fox tail proo and finger or raggy or Raji Millet and in the small or minor Millet categories the most popular or common millets are Cotto Barnyard little guinea Brown top fonio and adlay or also known as job’s tiar now the most common that you will probably find sold for human consumption is Pearl Millet and do know that with.
Each of these varieties they all have multiple colors that they come in as well but probably whenever you go to buy Millet it’s most likely going to be some type of pearl Millet but just know that all of these types of millets are great they have excellent nutritional value and you receive all of the benefits with them all right so now what is millet.
Used for and it is used from animal food all the way up to human consumption as well uh fun fact typically here in the United States if you are buying bird seed Millet will probably be in it and it’s what a lot of people here in the United States associate Millet with is more bird seed thanks to the gluten-free movement um it has become more popular.
For human consumption but generally speaking people really were only using it as birp seed now obviously Millet is predominately used for food which we will get to that in a bit on the ways that Millet is used as food for humans but other fun facts is it also used like pretty much all grains you know someone has made a liquor out of it or some sort.
Of alcoholic drink and sure enough there is one where Millet is the main grain that is distilled into a liquor called RI raki and you find it in Nepal India as well as Tibet it is a traditional food used in Russian German and Chinese cuisine and you can generally find it in all forms you can find it in just your typical whole grain Millet you find you.
Can actually buy Millet flower or Millet yourself Mill the Millet yourself see what I did there and you can also find puffed Millet which leads us to how to use millet in your own kitchen so first of all um it’s like quinoa if you’re already familiar with quinoa possibly rice or even amaranth it’s it’s very similar to those now how you actually.
Just cook Millet just to cook up some Millet very simple two cups water one cup of millet you put all that in a pot you bring it to a boil and then you bring it down to a simmer put a lid over it and simmer for about 15 minutes 10 15 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the Millet and then you remove it from the heat keep the lid on.
And like rice you allow it to steam and that extra liquid to be absorbed and there you go you have an easy easy peasy cooked grain now other ways to use it is that’s one way to use it if you’re just needing some food really quick just boil up some Millet you can make it into a porridge uh Russians actually typically do that it’s a to um make Millet into a.
Porridge they like it sweet or savory you can also pop Millet like popcorn it does puff up so similar to amaranth you can just pop it and have that as a healthy snack you can dress up a salad by just simply toasting the Millet just lightly toasting that Millet throw it into a salad you can substitute it for a recipe that calls for quinoa of course.
You can make the Ezekiel bread recipe which I will be sure to have linked for y’all below there’s actually a popular Indian flatbread it is a Roy flatbread but instead of wheat flour it is all millet flour which do know that in India millet flour is actually known as Bari or bajra flour so if you see that in a recipe that’s just millet flour just.
Ground up some Millet and you’ve got some flour but this is actually recipe that I plan to try myself so again it’s just a Roy bread Roy bread but uh with with millet flour you can use millet and granola recipes you can just add it into muffins throw it into a stew again it’s one of those tiny grains that are quite versatile and I think if you just use a.
Bit of imagination you will find many ways to use it so let me know which one in the comments below that you actually plan on using Millet 4 or what you’ve already tried melanin so again this is a grain that I have not tried myself yet so I definitely plan I got to do it this month I’m definitely going to do it um and anytime you make a recipe using.
Either my recipes or if you’re following us with the grain Explorer Challenge and be sure to tag me on social media you can find me over on Instagram at grains and grit but there you go with Millet exploring this grain I look forward to this month this is going to be stretching me as well so again if you want to catch up on the grains Explorer.
Challenge then be sure to check this playlist out here to get caught up on all the grains grains.com grains Explorer and check out the graany bunch CU we got some pretty cool people over there my graines you know I love you and you’re awesome so hopefully this was helpful and I’ll see you next week bye
