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In 2005, archaeologists discovered a 4000-year-old earthenware bowl buried in the site of Lajia, Northern China. The bowl contained long, yellow strands of well-preserved noodles made of — wait for it — millets!
If you were thinking millets are a recent craze, not at all. They are possibly the first food grains cultivated by humans in Asia and Africa, up to 10,000 years ago. |
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| So, what are millets? | |
They are a family of grasses with small seeds. There are a variety of millets including sorghum or jowar, finger millet or ragi, pearl millet or bajra, and others like little millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, and so on. |  | |
They are grown as food in many parts of India. The byproducts and grains are used as animal fodder. In the northeast and in Nepal, the grains are fermented to make local alcohols like raksi and tongba. |
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| Did you know?
At bigbasket, we source our millets directly from farmers’ collectives in Karnataka. |
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| A rags-to-riches story |  |
Once upon a time, millets were considered to be the food of the poor. That’s because these crops are hardy, growing well in the world’s driest regions with little rainfall and withstanding drastic weather changes.
With advancements in irrigation practices, we were able to grow crops like rice and wheat that need much more water. Slowly, millets were forgotten, until now. In recent years, millets have seen a revival and are being called superfoods. |
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| What’s so special about millets? | |
So many things! Here are a few of their nutritional benefits. |  | |
Rich in proteins, dietary fibre, vitamins & minerals. |
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|  | | Gluten-free and suitable for those with sensitive digestion. |
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Composed of complex carbs, and so, are diabetes-friendly. |
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Good sources of iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B6, and folic acid. |
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| | Millets’ Composition. | | |
Source: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) | |
When compared to rice and wheat, millets definitely score higher. Take a look at this table. | Fibre
(gms) | Rice: 2.8
Wheat flour: 11.2 |
| Pearl millet (Bajra): 11.5
Finger millet (Ragi): 11.2 |
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| Calcium
(mg) | Rice: 7.9
Wheat flour: 39.4 |
| Finger millet (Ragi): 364
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| Iron
(mg) | Rice: 0.6
Wheat flour: 3.9 |
| Pearl millet: 6.4
Barnyard millet: 5 |
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| Riboflavin vitamin
(mg) | Rice: 0.05
Wheat: 0.15 |
| Proso millet: 0.28
Pearl millet: 0.2 |
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| Folic Acid
(mcg) | Rice: 9.32
Wheat: 30.1 |
| Kodo millet: 39.5
Sorghum (Jowar): 39.5
Little millet: 36.2
Pearl millet: 36.1 |
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Source: Indian Food Composition Tables, NIN – 2017; *Nutritive value of Indian Foods, NIN – 2007 |
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| Ready to try millets? | |
Explore a range of organic millets and millet flours on bigbasket. We source directly from farmers’ collectives in Karnataka and do multi-level checks for the size, colour, and quality of the grains before packing. | |
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| Until next time, All of us at bigbasket. |
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