Millet? |
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Pearl millet in the field
Ripe head of proso millet- For other uses, see Millet (other meanings).
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one, based on similar characteristics and uses.
Millet flour (called "Bajari" in Marathi) has been commonly used in Western India for hundreds of years to make the local staple flat bread (called "Bhakri"). Typically, "Bhakri" is made from "Jowar" (Sorghum) flour.
The millets include species in several genera, mostly in the subfamily Panicoideae, of the grass family Poaceae. The most widely cultivated species in order of worldwide production1 are:
- Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum)
- Foxtail millet (Setaria italica)
- Proso millet also known as common millet, broom corn millet, hog millet or white millet (Panicum miliaceum)
- Finger millet (Eleusine coracana)
Minor millets include:
- Barnyard millet (Echinochloa spp.)
- Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum)
- Little millet (Panicum sumatrense)
- 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).
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.
A 4000 year old bowl of noodles made from Foxtail millet and Broomcorn millet was found at the Lanjia archeological site in China.
Millet sprays are often recommended as healthy treats to finicky pet birds, as they are easily eaten and (in the case of destructive-prone hookbills) easily broken.