finger millet

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 ರಾಗಿ in Kannada), 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.

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

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.

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

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 cooking the Ragi flour with water to achieve a dough like consistency. Which is then rolled into 'balls' of desired size and consumed. Ghee with Huli,Saaru,sambar or another other curry is generally served along with these balls.

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 flat bread 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. Home made Ragi malt happens to be one of the most popular infant food even to this day.

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]

Common names for finger millet

• Arabic: Tailabon
• Chinese: 穇子 (Traditional), 䅟子 (Simplified), cǎnzi (pinyin)
• Danish: Fingerhirse
• Dhivehi: ބިންބި Binbi
• 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)
  • Bajri (Gujarati)
  • Nasne/Nachne नासणे/नाचणे (Konkani)

• Kenya: Wimbi (Swahili), Kal (Dholuo), Ugimbi (Kikuyu)
• Korea: 수수 (Susu)
• Nepal: कोदो Kodo
• Nigeria: Tamba (Hausa)
• 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

References

External links

• Crop Wild Relatives Gap Analysis Portal reliable information source on where and what to conserve ex-situ, regarding Eleusine genepool
• Various Particulars of Ragi
• Ragi recipes at Bawarchi.com
• Ragi Sprouts Porridge - Baby Food
• Ethiopian Plant Names

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ragi

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Category:Ragi flour-based recipes