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Doris Piccinin, M.S. R.D., Author
Department of Nutrition and Food Service
from an interview with Tsegazeab Woldetatios, PhD, Agriculture
Conctract Interpeter at Harborview Medical Center
Christine Wilson, Editor
April 2002
The preferred staple in the Ethiopian and Eritrean diet is engera (pronounced en-jer-a, and sometimes spelled injera), a flat sour-like fermented pancake that is used with "wot", a stew made with spices, meats and pulses, such as lentils, beans and split peas. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, teff is the most common cereal crop used to make engera. Teff is a tiny, round, khaki-colored grain closely resembling millet. Its scientific name is Eragrostis, teff. "Teffa", the Amharic word for "lost", is so named because of teff's small size. It is the smallest grain in the world and often is lost in the harvesting and threshing process because of its size.
Teff is well known by Ethiopians and Eritreans for its superior nutritional quality. It contains 11% protein, 80% complex carbohydrate and 3% fat. It is an excellent source of essential amino acids, especially lysine, the amino acid that is most often deficient in grain foods. Teff contains more lysine than barley, millet, and wheat and slightly less than rice or oats. Teff is also an excellent source of fiber and iron, and has many times the amount of calcium, potassium and other essential minerals found in an equal amount of other grains. When teff is used to make engera, a short fermentation process allows the yeast to generate more vitamins. (http://www.wam.umd.edu/tes/tef/injera.html) Teff is nearly gluten-free, and is gaining popularity in the whole food and Health food industry in the U.S. as an alternative grain for persons with gluten sensitivity. Teff may also have applications for persons with Celiac Disease.
It would seem that because of its superior nutritional qualities, teff would be available to all persons in Ethiopia to make engera. However, while it is the preferred grain in making engera, its availability is limited by its high cost. Teff is currently the most expensive grain to purchase in Ethiopia as it requires labor-intensive harvesting and processing techniques, and produces especially low yields. Although teff covers the greatest land space in Ethiopia, it has the lowest yield per hectare, an average of 910kg/ha. In 1996-1997, teff covered 31% of the total landmass, as compared to 17% and 13% for corn and wheat respectively. The total yield for the teff grown in that year was only 26-28%. Research is currently under way to improve the yield of this cereal crop both in Ethiopia and in the U.S. (Ketema, Seyfu, Addis, Ethiopia, 1996; Chekol, Tesema, University of Maryland, 1997).
Teff is grown in Ethiopia and Eritrea predominately for human consumption. Other grains grown in Ethiopia and Eritrea include barley, sorghum, wheat, and maize or corn. Dr. Woldetatios, our interviewee, along with The Ethiopian Agricultural Association, was involved in a project in the early 1980's to incorporate other grains including triticale and barley into the making of engera.
In Ethiopia, teff has multiple other uses including acting as reinforcement for thatched roofs and mud bricks. It is sometimes used as an alcoholic beverage base although most alcoholic beverages in Ethiopia are primarily made from corn and millet. Teff is used in mixtures with soybean, chickpea and other grains and is becoming popular as baby food because of its high mineral content.
When teff grown in other countries such as Uganda, Australia, Canada, The United States and Kenya it is served mainly as animal feed. Indeed, the use of teff as an animal foodstuff is universal. Both its grain and straw provide an excellent nutritional product in comparison to other animal feed.
With the growing Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant communities, the demand for teff as an important cereal group continues to rise.
Although teff is found in almost all cereal growing areas of Ethiopia, the major areas of production are the central and highland areas. Teff can resist water-logging conditions associated with these regions, however, initial germination of the seed requires specific attention to prevent seed rot in the ground.
Teff is well adapted to the heavy, well-drained, clay-like soil areas of the Ethiopian highlands where most other cereal crops cannot be grown easily. Teff grows best in moderate altitude levels. The preferred altitude conditions for teff is 1700-2200 meters. This matches most closely with altitudes in the highland areas of Ethiopia at 1800-2100 meters.
The 12-hour light schedule that is found in equatorial regions of the world, such as Ethiopia and Eritrea, is the ideal sunlight requirement of the plant. It prevents flowering of the grain referred to as "summer slump". This poses particular challenges when the grain is grown in North America with extended summer daylight conditions. According to our interviewee, there have been reports of a former Peace Corps volunteer in Michigan being successful in altering the daylight schedule requirements to prevent "summer slump".
As a result of the increased demands for teff in Ethiopia and the rising popularity of teff as an alternative grain in the U.S., agricultural practices to support increased growth of this crop are needed. Dr. Woldetatios reported current research in Michigan and Idaho to adjust the light requirements for increased growth yields of teff.
The arid lowland areas of Ethiopia support minimal teff production. These areas are sparsely populated because of the severity of the growing season in these regions. Due to its drought-resistant characteristics, the best-suited grain for these growing conditions is millet. The nomadic people that most often occupy the lowland areas of Ethiopia base their diet predominately on beef and dairy products or Ethiopian bread (kita in Amharic and kitcha in the Tigrean language) made from millet or barley. Other Ethiopian breads made with yeast are referred to as Ambasha.
There are several varieties of teff, each with characteristics best suited to specific conditions. It is not in the scope of this paper to discuss the details about all the different varieties of this grain. In general, there are three main types of teff: white, red and brown.
White teff is the preferred type but only grows in certain regions of Ethiopia and does not grow in Eritrea. White teff grows only in the Highlands of Ethiopia, requires the most rigorous growing conditions, and is the most expensive form of teff. Just like white bread has been a status symbol in the United States, white teff was reserved for the wealthiest and most prestigious families in Ethiopia. The prestige associated with consuming white teff, as well as its more stringent growing conditions, contributes to the increased cost of white teff. The shelf life of engera is extended with the use of white teff.
Red teff, the least expensive form and the least preferred type, has the highest iron content. In persons living in areas of the country where consumption of red teff is most prevalent, hemoglobin levels were found to be higher with a decreased risk of anemia related to parasitic infection. As studies of the increased health benefits associated with high iron contents in red teff become elucidated, there is more acceptance of this grain in society. Today in Ethiopia, red teff is becoming more popular related to its increased iron content. The data composition tables available were not able to differentiate the iron content between red and white teff. The average iron content of teff is 62.71mg/4oz grain. Studies indicate that the level of iron in the teff is related to the threshing of the grain on the soil. To our knowledge, no studies investigating the iron content of the soil and its possible effect on the iron contents of the grain, have been conducted.
The third main type of teff, brown teff, has moderate iron content.
The other health related benefit of teff is the high fiber content of the grain. This is particularly important in dealing with diabetes and assisting with blood sugar control. Related to its small size, the grain cannot be separated into germ, bran and endosperm to create a variety of other products. Although this creates some disadvantages for the grain, it allows teff to yield a much higher fiber content than other grains (15.3 grams of fiber/4 oz flour, second only to dark rye flour). (www.cspinet.org/nah/wwheat.html).
Almost no research is available regarding the risk and prevalence of diabetes specifically among Ethiopian immigrants in the United States. However, a study done in Israel among immigrants from Africa compared the prevalence rates of diabetes in newly arrived immigrants and in immigrants who had been residing in Israel for 2.5 - 4 years. "The study showed that new immigrants form Ethiopia, in 1984-1985 and 1991, had diabetes prevalence rates as low as 0.4% and 0% respectively" (Faust, Spilsbury, & Loue, 1998; Rubenstein, Graf, Landau, Reisin & Goldbourt, 1991: Rubenstein, Graf, & Villa, 1993). "The rate was found to be 8.9% among Ethiopians who had been residing in Israel for 2.5 - 4 years" (Cohen, Stein, Rusecki, & Zeidler, 1998; Faust, Spilsbury, &Loue, 1998). "It was only after being exposed to a Western diet and lifestyle that the diabetes rate in this population increased" (http://www.apha.org/ppp/red/afrrisk.htm). We can infer from the Israeli study that when the traditional Ethiopian diet is replaced by Western foods, the rate of diabetes among the immigrant population will increase. In achieving blood glucose control among the Ethiopian immigrant population in Seattle, understanding the content and variety of grains used locally to make engera is critical.
At this time, it is uncertain whether engera made with pure teff flour is available in Seattle. Teff flour used for making traditional Ethiopian bread is purchased at local ethnic grocery stores. These stores have cropped up as a result of the demands for such products in the Seattle area. Teff flour sold in the area originates from Idaho, or in some instances, it is imported directly from Ethiopia. However, none of the teff flour sold in these ethnic stores is labeled. Our speculation is that this teff flour is a different variety than that which grows in Ethiopia, or it is mixed with a variety of other grains. The environmental/atmospheric differences or varying water acidities may alter the growth of the symbiotic yeast in teff flour from Ethiopia as compared to the U.S. This is an area needing further research. How much a role the Green Revolution has played in adapting varieties of teff to the climatic conditions of North America is unknown.
Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants living in the Seattle area have adapted their recipes for making engera by utilizing a variety of different grains. Many ethnic grocery stores sell pre-made engera to ease the burden on displaced families that have arrived in the area. None of these stores will reveal their 'secret' engera recipe. An interview with Amy's Mercado in Seattle revealed little to no additional information on the ingredients used to make their specialty engera bread. The recipe is sold with the store, much like family-owned bakeries. The different grains used to make engera vary widely. Some people use self-rising flour (a bleached white flour containing yeast with bicarbonate) and teff flour to make engera. Other recipes use a variety of grains including barley, rice, corn, millet and teff flour. Fermentation of engera varies and depends on the families' taste preferences. As teff contains a symbiotic yeast, it can be fermented into a paste for 2-3 days and then used to make the traditional bread cooked in a mesob. For more information on making engera, Injera