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{{otheruses}} [[Image:Grain millet, early grain fill, Tifton, 7-3-02.jpg|thumb|240px|right|[[Pearl millet]] in the field]] The '''millets''' are a group of small-[[seed]]ed [[species]] of [[cereal]] [[Crop (agriculture)|crops]], or [[grains]], widely grown around the world for [[food]] and [[fodder]]. They do not form a [[scientific classification|taxonomic]] group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult production environments. ==Millet varieties== [[Image:Panicum miliaceum0.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Ripe head of [[proso millet]]]] 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 production[http://www.fao.org/docrep/W1808E/w1808e0l.htm] 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''). ==Production history== [[Image:2005millet.PNG|thumb|right|Millet output in 2005]] Specialized archaeologists called [[palaeoethnobotanists]], relying on data such as the relative abundance of charred grains found in archaeological sites, hypothesize that the cultivation of millets was of greater prevalence in prehistory than rice, especially in northern China and Korea. Broomcorn (''Panicum miliaceum'') and [[Foxtail millet]] were important crops beginning in the Early [[Neolithic]] of [[China]]. For example, some of the earliest evidence of millet cultivation in China was found at [[Cishan culture|Cishan]] (north) and [[Hemudu culture|Hemudu]] (south). Cishan dates to 7000-5000 BCE and contained pit-houses, storage pits, pottery, stone tools related to cultivation, and carbonized foxtail millet. A 4000 year old well-preserved bowl containing well-preserved noodles made from foxtail millet and [[broomcorn millet]] was found at the [[Lajia]] archaeological site in [[China]] {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. Palaeoethnobotanists in Canada, Korea, and Japan have found evidence of the cultivation of millet in the [[Korean Peninsula]] dating to the Middle [[Jeulmun pottery period]] (c. 3500-2000 BCE) (Crawford 1992; Crawford and Lee 2003). Millet continued to be an important element in the intensive, multi-cropping agriculture of the [[Mumun pottery period]] (c. 1500-300 BCE) in Korea (Crawford and Lee 2003). Millets and their wild ancestors such as [[barnyard grass]] and [[panic grass]] were also cultivated in [[Japan]] during the [[Jōmon period]] some time after 4000 BCE (Crawford 1983, 1992). Millet was consumed in northern Europe at least since the [[Iron Age]], based upon analysis of [[Haraldskær Woman]] found in [[Jutland]], [[Denmark]] {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. 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 [[Agricultural Research Service|USDA-ARS]] at [[Tifton, Georgia]], [[United States|USA]]. ==Current uses of millet== [[Image:Millet beer in Cameroon.jpg|thumb|right|Millet beer in [[Cameroon]]]] Millets are principally food sources in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. In Western India, millet flour (called "Bajari" in [[Marathi]]) has been commonly used with "Jowar" ([[Sorghum]]) flour for hundreds of years to make the local staple flat bread (called "[[Bhakri]]"). Mi llets are traditionally important grains used in brewing [[millet beer]] in some cultures, for instance by the [[Tao people]] of [[Orchid Island]] and, along with [[sorghum]], by various peoples in East Africa. [[Celiac]] patients can replace certain cereal grains in their diets by consuming millets in various forms including breakfast cereals. Millet can often be used in recipes instead of [[buckwheat]], [[rice]], or [[quinoa]]. Millet sprays are often recommended as healthy treats to finicky pet birds, as they are easily eaten and (in the case of destruction-prone hookbills) easily broken. ==Nutrition== The protein content in millet is very close to that of [[wheat]]; both provide about 11% protein by weight. Millets are rich in B vitamins, especially [[niacin]], B6 and [[folacin]], [[calcium]], [[iron]], [[potassium]], [[magnesium]], and [[zinc]]. Millets contain no [[gluten]], so they cannot rise for bread. When combined with [[wheat]] or [[xanthan gum]] (for those who have [[coeliac disease]]), though, they can be used for raised bread. Alone, they are suited for [[flatbread]]. As none of the millets are closely related to wheat, they are appropriate foods for those with [[coeliac disease]] or other forms of allergies/intolerance of wheat. ==Preparation== The basic preparation consists in washing the millet and toasting it while moving until one notes a characteristic scent. Then add five measures of boiling water for each two measures of millet and some salt. Cook covered using low flame for 30-35 minutes. ==References== * Crawford, Gary W. ''Paleoethnobotany of the Kameda Peninsula''. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1983. * Crawford, Gary W. Prehistoric Plant Domestication in East Asia. In ''The Origins of Agriculture: An International Perspective'', edited by C.W. Cowan and P.J. Watson, pp. 117-132. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, 1992. * Crawford, Gary W. and Gyoung-Ah Lee. Agricultural Origins in the Korean Peninsula. ''Antiquity'' 77(295):87-95, 2003. ==External links== * [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/millet.html Alternative Field Crops Manual: Millets] * [http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch29.html Vegetarians in Paradise: Millet History, Millet Nutrition, Millet Recipe] {{Cereals}} [[Category:Millets| ]] [[Category:Cereals]]

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