Grasses and Grains

Did you know, that all varieties of cereals, including rice and wheat, are seeds of grasses?

Pearl Millet or Bajri (Source)

Millets too, are seeds of grasses. But let’s be honest here, millets trump wheat and rice today… and yesterday… and well basically any day! Millets have historically been much more widely grown and used as food grains in India; much before wheat and rice became the so-called “wonder-grains” of India’s Green Revolution. And today, they are slowly regaining popularity.

And rightly so; the reason millets have used to be such a preferred type of crop is due to their extremely hardy, resilient nature. Apart from being highly nutritious, they are extremely easy to grow. You could probably even grow them by accident! (Okay, may be a slight exaggeration, but you get the gist.) Most millets are innately pest-resistant, and drought-resistant, needing very little attention and care. In addition, they also had much shorter growing periods than native rice and wheat varieties (pre-hybridisation).

Today, people are slowly becoming more aware of what they eat. And as a result, the horrors (both environmental and nutritional) of hybrid, polished, processed white grains like rice and wheat are being uncovered by the masses. In the midst of all this, the underdog millets have begun to re-emerge as the heroes of the hour.

Many of you who have grown up eating traditional, homemade Indian food, have probably come across at least a few millets so far. There are 8 millets grown in India, of which the better-known ones are Ragi (finger millet), Jowar (sorghum), and Bajri (pearl millet).

Here is a list of the 8 millets in local Indian languages. How many have you eaten?

Table courtsey Earth 360 Foods -- http://www.earth360.in/Millets.html

You may wonder why I am suddenly back, rambling on about millets of all things. Well I do have a hidden motive. I want to tell you about an event that SWAD is organizing this Saturday, on the 12^th of September 2015. It is titled “SAFAR – A Journey with Millets”. It is a showcase of the glory of millets, in the form of 80 traditional and contemporary millet-based dishes. What’s more? You can try all 80 dishes at the cost of just 1 rupee each!

Event Details

While millets are slowly taking the centre stage once more, perhaps young people closer to my age dismiss them at “healthy, boring food” or “just some kind of grains”, when really, they’re so much more. They truly are wonder-grains, with which the culinary possibilities are endless! (Did I mention that a few years ago, some of my seniors won a culinary competition by making a Ragi Panna Cotta?) 

So if you study or live in and around Christ University, I recommend you come by, visit this event, and take a journey with millets!