Finger millet

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Finger millet

Finger Millet grains of mixed color.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Chloridoideae
Genus: Eleusine
Species: E. coracana
Binomial name
Eleusine coracana
L.

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana, Amharic ዳጉሳ "Dagusa" or ቶኩሶ tōkūsō), also known as African millet or Ragi), is an annual plant widely grown as a cereal in the arid areas of Africa and Asia. Finger millet is originally native to the Ethiopian Highlands[1] and was introduced into India approximately 4000 years ago.[citation needed] It is very adaptable to higher elevations and is grown in the Himalaya up to 2,300 metres in elevation.

Contents

[edit] Cultivation

Finger millet is often intercropped with legumes such as peanuts (Arachis hypogea), cowpeas (Vigna sinensis), and pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan), or other plants such as Niger seeds (Guizotia abyssinica).

Although statistics on individual millet species are confused, and are sometimes combined with sorghum, it is estimated that finger millet is grown on approximately 38,000 km2.

Finger millet

[edit] Storage

Once harvested, the seeds keep extremely well and are seldom attacked by insects or moulds. The long storage capacity makes finger millet an important crop in risk-avoidance strategies for poorer farming communities.

[edit] Nutrition

Finger millet is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, which is lacking in the diets of hundreds of millions of the poor who live on starchy staples such as cassava, plantain, polished rice, or maize meal. Finger millet can be ground and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge. The grain is made into a fermented drink (or beer) in Nepal and in many parts of Africa. The straw from finger millet is used as animal fodder. It is also used for as a flavoured drink in festivals

Nutritive value of Ragi per 100 g

Protein 7.3 g
Fat 1.3 g
Carbohydrate 72 g
Minerals 2.7 g
Calcium 3.44 g
Fibre 3.6 g
Energy 328 kCal

[edit] Preparation as food

In Karnataka, Ragi flour is boiled in water and the resultant preparation, called Ragi Mudde is eaten with Sambar.

In India, finger millet (locally called ragi) is mostly grown and consumed in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu Maharashtra and Goa[2]. Ragi flour is made into flatbreads, including thick, leavened dosa and thinner, unleavened roti. Ragi grain is malted and the grains are ground. This ground flour is consumed mixed with milk, boiled water or yoghurt.

In Karnataka, ragi flour is generally consumed in the form of ragi balls (ರಾಗಿ ಮುದ್ದೆ ragi mudde in Kannada). The mudde which is prepared by boiling the ragi flour in water until the water is condensed. The resulting preparation is then rolled into a spherical form and consumed, after applying ghee with sambar (ಸಾಂಬಾರ್ in Kannada).

Finger millet in its commonly consumed form as a porridge

In Maharashtra, bhakri (भाकरी in Marathi; also called ಭಕ್ರಿ bhakri in Northern Karnataka), a type of flatbread is prepared using finger millet (ragi) flour. Bhakri is called as ರಾಗಿ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ (ragi rotti in Kannada) in Karnataka. In Goa ragi is very popular and satva, pole (dosa), bhakri, ambil (a sour porridge) are very common preparations.

In Nepal, a thick dough made of millet flour (ḍhĩḍo ढिंडो) is cooked and eaten with the hand. Fermented millet is used to make a beer (jããḍ जाँड) and the mash is distilled to make a liquor (rakśi रक्शी).

In the northwest of Vietnam, finger millet is used as a medicine for women when they give birth. A minority used finger millet flour to make alcohol (bacha alcohol is a good drink of the H'mong minority).

In southern parts of India, pediatricians recommend finger-millet-based food for infants of six months and above because of its high nutritional content, especially calcium.

[edit] Uses

A traditional food plant in Africa, millet has the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.[3]

[edit] Common names for finger millet

  • Arabic: Tailabon
  • Chinese: 穇子 (Traditional), 䅟子 (Simplified), cǎnzi (pinyin)
  • Danish: Fingerhirse
  • Dhivehi: ބިންބި Bimbi
  • English: Finger millet, African millet, ragi, koracan
  • Ethiopia: Dagussa (Amharic/Sodo), tokuso (amharic), barankiya (Oromo)
  • French: eleusine cultivee, coracan, koracan
  • German: Fingerhirse
  • India:
    • Ragi ರಾಗಿ (Kannada
    • Ragi రాగి (Telugu),
    • Mandia (Oriya)
    • Taidalu (in the Telangana region)
    • Kezhvaragu (கேழ்வரகு), kay.pai (கேப்பை), Aariyam (ஆரியம்)(Tamil)
    • Panjapul ( or kooravu (Malayalam)
    • Mandua (in some parts of north India)
    • Nachani नाचणी / Ragee रागी (Marathi)
    • Naglee નાગલી(Gujarati)
    • Nasne/Nachne नासणे/नाचणे (Konkani)
  • Kenya: Wimbi (Swahili), Kal (Dholuo), Ugimbi (Kikuyu)
  • Nepal: कोदो Kodo
  • Sri Lanka: කුරක්කන් (Kurakkan)
  • Sudan: Tailabon (Arabic), ceyut (Bari)
  • Tanzania: (Swahili) Mbege, mwimbi, Wimbi, ulezi,
  • Uganda: Bulo
  • Vietnam: Hong mi, Chi ke
  • Zambia: Kambale, lupoko, mawele, majolothi, amale, bule
  • Zimbabwe: Rapoko, zviyo, njera, rukweza, mazhovole, uphoko, poho

[edit] References

  1. ^ A.C. D'Andrea, D.E. Lyons, Mitiku Haile, E.A. Butler, "Ethnoarchaeological Approaches to the Study of Prehistoric Agriculture in the Ethiopian Highlands" in Van der Veen, ed., The Exploitation of Plant Resources in Ancient Africa. Kluwer Academic: Plenum Publishers, New York, 1999.
  2. ^ Ragi is one of the important crop in the Indian state of Goa
  3. ^ National Research Council (1996-02-14). "Finger Millet". Lost Crops of Africa: Volume I: Grains. Lost Crops of Africa. 1. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-04990-0. http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2305&page=39. Retrieved on 2008-07-18. 

[edit] External links

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ragi
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