Injera, Teff and the Ethiopian Highlands.

 Injera is a spongy flat bread that is a central part of Ethiopian cuisine.  It's actually used in Eritrean, Somalian and Yemeni dishes as well but it is Ethiopian food that has emerged as a trendy cuisine in the west and  it is definitely Ethiopian dishes that pop culture associates injera with .  If you didn't already know, injera - and especially injera made from teff - is a  really healthy bread to eat !  

Teff
Teff has the highest content of calcium in the world of grains.  Actually it leads the grain world for calcium content by a wide margin.  A cup of cooked teff offers  123 mg of calcium  which is about the same amount as you would get in a half cup of cooked spinach!

Teff is also high in 'resistant starch' which is a type of dietary fiber that can benefit blood-sugar management, weight control, and colon health.  It’s estimated that 20-40% of the carbohydrates in teff are resistant starches. 

Teff [Eragrostis tef] is the only fully-domesticated member of the genus Eragrostis (lovegrass).

Believe it or not teff is also a  excellent source of vitamin C, a nutrient not commonly found in grains .  Teff WAS long believed to be high in iron, but more recent tests have shown that its iron content comes from soil mixed with the grain after it’s been threshed on the ground – the grain itself is not unusually high in iron.  So the  iron content will depend on where  you buy your teff or injera from.  Tef grains are reported to contain 9-11 percent protein, an amount slightly higher than in normal sorghum, maize, or oats.  Samples tested in the United States have consistently shown even higher protein levels: 14-15 percent.

Teff is actually an annual grass, a species of lovegrass, that is native to the northern Ethiopian Highlands.  Since teff’s bran and germ make up a large percentage of the tiny grain, and it’s too small to process, teff is always eaten in its whole form.  It’s been estimated that Ethiopians get about two-thirds of their dietary protein from teff.  Many of Ethiopia’s famed long-distance runners attribute their energy and health to teff .

Harvesting teff in Ethiopia

Currently, teff accounts for about 25% of all grain production in Ethiopia.  Farmers in Australia and the United States have recently started to experiment with  growing  teff in their own regions.  It is an extremely quick growing plant.  After planting, hay harvest can occur in as little as 45 days. 

Today, teff is moving  way beyond its traditional use .  As mentioned above it is a healthy, gluten-free grain, it also has a  mild flavour  and has proven to be a versatile ingredient for many products.  It can now be found in pancakes, snacks, breads, cereals and many other products.  

Teff is the smallest grain in the WORLD.  Three thousand grains of teff weigh just one gram (1/28 of an ounce).  Just one pound  of teff grains can grow an acre of teff, while 100 pounds or more of wheat grains are needed to grow an acre of wheat.

A Wee Bit of History:

Ploughing in Tigray. Etching from 1868.

Ethiopians have been growing, harvesting and eating the delicious teff grain for thousands of years.  Between 8000 and 5000 BC,  the peoples of the Ethiopian highlands in the province of Tigray  were among the first locales to domesticate plants and animals for food  and teff was one of the earliest plants domesticated .  If you've been to the highlands of Ethiopia or somewhere near  Axum or Adwa  you'll have an idea of why it might be that the grain wasn't traded internationally for years.  The highlands are notoriously difficult to navigate.   


Making INJERA
When making injera the  tef flour is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for a few days .  This fermentation is a bit of a delicate process and is temperature and humidity sensitive.  Traditionally the batter prepared is cooked either on  a wide specialized circular electric stove or a wide circular pan made of clay  using fire. 

Traditional Injera Recipe: 1 1/2 cups ground teff (180 g) 2 cups water Mix ground teff with the water and let stand in a bowl covered with a dish towel at room temperature until it bubbles and has turned sour. This may take as long as 3 days!  Heat a large frying pan and pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of the skille. Spread the batter around immediately by turning and rotating the skillet in the air. Injera is not supposed to be paper thin so you should use a bit more batter than you would for crepes, but less than you would for a flapjack pancakes. Cook briefly, until holes form in the injera and the edges lift from the pan; Do not let it brown, and don't flip it over as it is only supposed to be cooked on one side. Remove and let cool.  TIP: Place foil between successive pieces so they don't stick together.

Injera is spread out on a large plate, placed between the guests  for all to share the food from the same plate  and chosen dishes (like doro wat or alicha) are ladled on top.  Additional injera is served on the side and guests use the injera to scoop up their food.  

A more ancient tradition is for  guests to gather at low-sitting table  like the one pictured in the traditional icon painting style, below.  

Did you know?  There are traditional 'lunch boxes' called agelgil which were specially designed to carry injera and the ethiopian cultural cuisine.  

A type of Agelgil

Links for further reading: 

 As Americans embrace Ethio­pian cuisine, its farmers grow more teff: http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-07-29/lifestyle/35487820_1_dukem-tibs-ethiopians  via Washington Post.

Health benefits, cooking tips and recipes, historical/cultural facts and more: http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/teff-and-millet-november-grains-of-the-month   via Whole Grains Council.

 

The nutritional promise of teff and some explanations: http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2305&page=222    via National Academies Press.

All about teff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eragrostis_tef   via Wikipedia.