The World of Sorghum (Jowar): Part II
A wonderful realization struck me the day I stumbled upon the link between ancient fields and my much-loved saree. In scientific research, we are always trained to gauge the significance of something by hardcore number crunching and statistical analysis. While preparing a post about the significance of jowar as a food crop, I was tempted to go into data overdrive and cite the production and consumption numbers in metric tons. Yet, if you really want to gauge the value of a crop to a particular culture and its people, try going beyond these numbers.
The World of Sorghum (Jowar): Part I
Sorghum—where does this word come from, and what does it mean? Sorghum comes from the Italian word “Sorgo,” which, in turn, comes from the Latin word “Syricum granum” meaning “grain of Syria.” Don’t let the name mislead you though. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is an ancient crop of African origin and is widely cultivated in semi-arid regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas. In fact, a U.S. Government publication describes sorghum as Africa’s contribution to the small number of elite grains, which include rice, wheat and maize.
