Beyond the Buzz—What Exactly are Millets?
Millets are a varied group of small-seeded grasses with a rich history of cultivation in Asia & Africa (and Europe, though to a lesser extent). They were among the first crops to be cultivated (nearly 10,000 years ago!), and played a central role in our ancestors’ transition from nomadic hunter-gatherers to living in agricultural societies. Although the word ‘millet’ today symbolizes birdseed in many parts of the world, millets have been a staple crop for a large proportion of the world’s population since the dawn of agriculture.
Millets and me
When my firstborn started on solids, I began searching for healthy homemade alternatives to store-bought baby food. That’s when I came across “sathu maavu”, a traditional baby food. It is a wholesome baby meal consisting of 20-25 ingredients, including an assortment of millets, pulses and nuts. Several of the ingredients are sprouted and toasted before use, in order to improve digestibility and bioavailability of nutrients. Sathu maavu was the one thing that made me a passionate advocate of millets; it literally fueled my son’s inexhaustible energy!
