How to cook millet

Information for millet in our free cooking ingredients collection.

Millet

Millet is the oldest of grains. And although it is often used in the United States as bird feed, millet is one of the main food sources for many developing nations.

There are many different species of millet, which is tiny, has an oblong-spherical shape, and ranges from pale yellow to reddish orange. Unlike most grains, which form ears, most varieties of millet form panicles, or berry-shaped heads. Millet berries are small and range from white, gray, or yellow to red or reddish brown. Common millet is grown worldwide and is used mainly for human consumption and animal feed. Foxtail millet is also grown in a variety of areas and is often used for birdseed or, in Russia, to make beer. Pearl millet is grown primarily in India.

Varieties that are more familiar to North Americans include sorghum and teff. Sorghum is widely grown in the American South and included there in regional cuisine. In the United States, sorghum molasses is used as syrup at the table and in baked goods. Teff was grown almost exclusively in Ethiopia until the past decade, when it was introduced in Western markets. Often thought of as a “famine food”, teff is also grown and distributed by humanitarian agencies to relieve world hunger.

Millet has a strong, nutty flavor that may take some time to appreciate. Finely ground millet is used by Ethiopians to make fermented, spongy flat bread, by Indians to make crepe-like roti, and by the Masai in Africa to make beer. Nutritionally, millet is a good source of niacin, thiamin, phosphorus, and zinc and provides a fair amount of iron. It also is easy to digest.

How to cook millet

Millet’s preparation is similar to that of rice, it is boiled in water. Ground millet is used as flour to make puddings, breads, and cakes. Because millet produces no gluten, it cannot be used on its own to make raised breads.

Serving suggestions

Millet can be used as a substitute for many other grains. It can be served as a hot cereal and in dishes such as pilaf. Like barley, millet can be added to soups and stews.

• Oats
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Rye
• Wheat
• Wild rice
• Bread
• Cereals
• Flour
• Pasta
• Asian noodles
• Poultry

• Taro
• Tomatillo
• Tomato
• Turnip
• Water chestnut
• Yam
• Grains
• Amaranth
• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Corn (maize)
• Flax

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