Posted on September, 5, 2024 at 07:46 am
If you're looking to vary your standard dinner starches beyond the usual rice, quinoa, and noodle options, consider fonio. This gluten-free grain has started to grab the culinary spotlight stateside—but it has been cultivated in West Africa for over 5,000 years. Its unique taste and cooking ease are just two aspects of its compelling story. "Fonio is from the millet family with a similar, slightly earthy flavor," explains Pierre Thiam. Born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, Thiam has brought West African cuisine to palates worldwide, via his African restaurant, Teranga, in NYC, his African food company, Yolélé, (which he founded with quinoa pioneer, Philip Teverow), and cookbooks, including The Fonio Cookbook.
Pierre Thiam, social entrepreneur, co-founder/executive chef of Teranga, an African restaurant in New York, co-founder of the African food company Yolélé, and author of several cookbooks, including The Fonio Cookbook.
A tiny, seeded cereal, fonio belongs to the Digitaria genus and is considered the oldest African plant. There are two cultivated species: the more prevalent white fonio (D. exilis), also referred to as acha, and black fonio (D. iburua), alternatively known as iburu.
Resilient, with deep roots, fonio flourishes in the dry savannas across West Africa—even in nutrient-deprived soils. It's an integral part of diets in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal.
Once harvested, this infinitesimal millet is threshed to remove the grain from the plant, then dried, dehulled, and milled. The grains are surrounded by fonio paddy, an inedible brown hull that must be removed before eating.
"Fonio is a gluten-free, nutritious powerhouse," says Thiam. Low in fat, this complex carbohydrate has a low glycemic index, too, so it won't trigger a spike in blood sugar levels. Other healthy bona fides include:
Amino acids: Fonio is high in methionine and cysteine, amino acids essential for human growth that are lacking in most other grains including corn, wheat, and rice.
Vitamins and minerals: It's a good source of B vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin, and also provides some iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium.
Calorie count: This grain is significantly lower in calories (140 calories per cup) than rice, pasta, or quinoa.
"Fonio has a neutral flavor with a subtle nuttiness and a delicate texture," says Thiam. "In appearance, it looks like couscous."
This millet variety cooks in a jiffy, making its way from stove to table in minutes. One cup of dry fonio yields a bounty of four to five cups when cooked. The simplest way to cook it is as follows:
Boil 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and add 1 cup of dry fonio.
Reduce heat to its lowest setting and cover with a tight lid.
Cook until the water evaporates (three to five minutes).
Fluff with a fork and proceed with your recipe.
Versatility is also a fonio hallmark."It is a good substitute for other grains in your favorite recipes," says Thiam. "There is a Bambara language saying that 'fonio never embarrasses the cook.'" It can be used in both savory and sweet recipes.
Try it in these preparations to start:
Paired with a spicy fish stew
As a crust for crab cakes
Served in bowls topped with kimchi and a fried egg
In place of rice with vegetable stir-fries
As a pilaf with baked chicken
In place of bulgur in tabbouleh
Instead of arborio rice in risotto
With greens in a light summer salad
As part of a topping for fruit crumbles and crisps
As a crust for sweet potato pie
Altering the proportions of water and grain and exchanging broth for water can further multiply the options. Fonio can also be prepared as a breakfast porridge, grits, or as a polenta stand-in by increasing the amount of cooking liquid, Thiam says. And it can be made like couscous when cooked in a 1-to-2 ratio with water, he adds.
In addition to bringing healthy variety to the dinner plate, underutilized grains like fonio play a larger role in feeding communities. "It is urgent to diversify our food production for the sake of our planet, and our own health," says Thiam. "Crops that are drought-resistant and grown in a regenerative manner, like fonio, need to have access to market." Another fonio plus: Because it cooks quickly, it requires less energy.
As word continues to travel about this millet marvel, everyone benefits. Thiam's company, Yolélé, partners with small farmers in Togo, and is currently organizing a network of farmers in Mali and Senegal. "We also work with women-owned cooperatives that process the fonio paddy," he says.
Fonio's success, he adds, is a triple win. "It's a win for the farmers in the Sahel region of Africa where it is grown, who will now have access to economic opportunities, a win for the environment, and a win for the consumers," Thiam says.
Just as rice, quinoa, rice, buckwheat, and other grains and seeds (yes, quinoa and buckwheat are seeds) can be ground into flours or used as core ingredients in a host of products, fonio can too. Thiam's brand, Yolélé, a leader in the fonio industry, has a robust product line including the uncooked grain, ready-made pilafs inspired by West African flavors, fonio flour, and various flavors of fonio chips.
Source: AOL