Outside of Africa, however, fonio is virtually unknown. It adds a nice nutty and earthy flavour that can elevate your bowls beyond just the plain rice or quinoa. Fonio is cultivated in arid areas of Africa where other crops struggle to survive; areas without irrigation or fertile soil; areas where water is in short supply. In this passionate talk, chef Pierre Thiam shares his obsession with the hardy crop and explains why he believes that its industrial-scale cultivation could transform societies in Africa. Aside from all the great things about fonio, I think it is a fantastic grain because of how quickly it cooks and how well it can soak up any flavour you give it. Thiam has even come up with recipes for fonio fruit salad, fonio croquettes and fonio sushi. Outside of the Kedougou region, finding fonio in a restaurant is a lottery: season, price and raw luck tend to determine whether it’s on the menu. It’s rich in proteins, containing amino acids that are absent in most comparable cereals. Lower the heat till low and let the fonio cook for 5 minutes. After ten minutes, you can open the cover and fluff the fonio, 1/3 cup dry mushrooms (oyster or shiitake are best), 1/2 tsp each of coriander seeds finely grounded and black pepper, 2 cardamon pods finely grounded (I usually grind the whole spices in a mortar with a pestle), 1/8 scotch bonnet pepper (completely optional), In a pot, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, scotch bonnet pepper, spices and mushrooms in the coconut oil. Ascona Trading. This plain fonio is just as good as quinoa or brown rice or even better in your buddha bowl or grain bowls. White fonio may also be referred to fonio, hungry rice or hungry millet and originates from West Africa. Fonio is the term for two cultivated grasses in the genus Digitaria that are notable crops in parts of West Africa. For thousands of years West Africans have cultivated it across the dry savannas. Fonio grown throughout the region in countries such as South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Senegal while Black Fonio, one of the oldest harvested grains, is found in Nigeria, Benin and Togo. Let the pot sit for ten minutes. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements. Indeed, it was once their major food. Fonio (Digitaria exilis) sometimes called Acha is grown in West Africa for centuries.For a long time, it was of marginal importance as a cereal due to its small seeds, but is now the object of renewed interest as consumers begin to recognize its flavour and nutritional qualities. . With the ability to grow in very poor, dry conditions such as Kédougou, a region that Pierre Thiam in his TED Talk describes as “one of the poorest regions in Senegal”,… A crop from West Africa could be the newest superfood on the market I find that there are different instructions on how to cook fonio but honestly I like to cook it like quinoa, more steaming than boiling because you can cook it without using too much water. Grown only in the Sahel region of Africa — a narrow belt that runs south of the Sahara and north of the savannah from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, fonio has never been formally cultivated, and is uncommon outside of that region. So add the water little at a time using only what you need, Once the onions are nice and soft and translucent, add the veggie broth. Other types of millet include fonio and finger millet (rapoko). We might, The holiday season is all about maintaining tradit, Many people have asked me what Christmas tradition, Tis the season for hot cocoa, truffles, advent cal, Testing out some recipe for my new ebook which sho, Sundays are for soups and this Sunday is no differ, The holiday season is here! Fonio is an ancient grain—in fact, having been cultivated for more than 5,000 years, it may be Africa’s oldest cultivated cereal crop. Fonio production in Mali has grown exponentially since 2017. Fonio is an erect, tillering grass with delicate stems and alternate leaves. It is quite a fine grain, with very small individual pieces that are hard to distinguish raw. Meanwhile, for those who haven’t had the luxury of travelling to Senegal (or other parts of the Sahel where fonio is cultivated), Pierre Thiam is your shining light. They all follow the same cooking method as just plain fonio so you will notice a trend. DON’T touch it until the 10 mins pass. Fonio belongs to the millet family, and it is a superfood based on its nutritional profile. If realised, this ancient ‘miracle’ grain would be easier to get hold of, and would give hope of a successful future to its impoverished growers. Archeologists have found fonio buried in tombs inside the Egyptian pyramids, indicating its importance in the cuisine going back centuries. Holiday traditions ar, REUPLOAD! Even though few other people have ever heard of it, this crop still remains important in areas scattered from Cape Verde to Lake Chad. When it comes to a boil, add the fonio, mix, cover the pot well and cook at low for 5 minutes. In doing research for his first cookbook, he came across fonio, an ancient grain that may be the oldest cultivated cereal in Africa (with a history going back at least 5,000 years). In addition to just plain fonio, you can make these three super easy and creative modifications that can elevate the grain. With deep root systems, this ancient grain prevents soil erosion and needs little water. But drought-resistant fonio flourishes in that setting. In Northern Nigeria, Fonio goes by the name Acha. Fadiga, an immigrant from Guinea in West Africa, stands in a matching flowered shirt and skirt in the back room of her New York beauty supply shop after a lunch of fonio with stewed chicken and okra puree. White fonio can reach a height of 30–80 cm (11.8–31.5 in) depending on variety and is an annual plant, harvested after one growing season. By Emily Heil Dec 27, 2019 An individual grain of fonio is tiny, like a speck of sand. He launched Yolélé Foods in 2017, which specialises in fonio and sells its products on Amazon, Thrive Market and selected Whole Foods stores. In this blog post, you will learn all about fonio, how to cook it and three simple and tasty fonio recipes to try, Fonio is a small but mighty grain indigenous small millet to the Sahel regions Africa (running from as far west as Senegal to just south of Egypt). This portal is an active B2B website for all Food Suppliers and their products like Food. But when cooked it almost quadruples in size, which means more buck for your money. One crop that Sylla believes holds promise, is fonio, one of the oldest cultivated cereals in Africa. Fonio is a type of millet that’s widely consumed in West African countries. Get to know the indigenous spices used a, (Click here to shop from my favourite store), Why West-African Cuisine is Plant-Based Friendly, Vegan Kontomire Stew - The Canadian African Ghanaian Delicacy, 10+ African Vegan Holiday Recipes - The Canadian African, If you are in the US, please check out Yolele Foods, If you live in Europe, mainly UK, make sure to check out Aduna. Described as having a “delicious, nutty and earthy flavour” by celebrated New York-based Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam, fonio is also well regarded for its versatility; it can be substituted for almost every other cereal. This African grain, native to the regions just south of the Sahara, has been given that label. Vegan roast with teff stuffi, Happy Friday Fonio is to West Africa what quinoa is to the Andes: an indigenous grain steeped in ancient history, essential to the culinary story of the region. Copyright 2020 - The Canadian African. Fonio (pronounced ‘phone-yo’) is the new kid on the superfood block. It is starchless and wonderful for families because it expands 3 times it’s size when cooked. Red and brown teff are faster maturing grasses and are superior for fodder. industrial-scale cultivation could transform societies in Africa. Three Easy and Tasty Ways to Cook Fonio - The Canadian African Thiam stumbled across fonio in the southeast Senegalese region of Kedougou. Fonio (pronounced ‘phone-yo’) is the new kid on the superfood block. You’ve just been upstaged by a relatively obscure and ancient grain from the heart of sub-saharan Africa.. It is one of the oldest grown and harvested grains in West Africa. Then there’s the magician’s hat of nutrients to pick from: calcium, zinc, magnesium, manganese and twice the iron of brown rice. The leaves are blade like or linear and tapering and can reach up … Our recent article on fonio talks about its origins, and how it is traditionally grown only in the Sahel region of Africa — a narrow belt that runs south of the Sahara and north of … Called “the seed of the universe” by Mali’s Dogon people, fonio is indeed a powerful food. As the world is waking up and finally seeing the abundance and riches of the African kitchen, some of the ingredients we have been eating for centuries are becoming more and more readily available to more diverse audience. He’d never seen it in Dakar, where grains that are not grown in the country, such as wheat, are available on every shop corner. 7 Fonio Suppliers from South Africa. All Rights Reserved. It gets it name from the wolof word foño, a tribe in Senegal. Finally, just to top it off, fonio has a low glycaemic index, so even diabetics can enjoy it. Then you can open it and fluff it up with a fork, 3/4 cup veggie broth or water (salt free is best to have better control of salt), 1/4 cup tomato stew (recipes available in free ebook, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (you can add more if you like spicy food), In a pot mix together the spices, broth/water, and tomato stew and let it come to a boil. That being said, you have a better chance in the larger traditional Senegalese restaurants in Dakar, such as Chez Loutcha and Le Djembe in Plateau and La Calebasse in Mamelles. Fonio has the highest iron content among all grains, it helps to cleanse the blood and carries oxygen to the brain. 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