Teff – Ethiopia’s Nutritious Grain

On January 13th, 2015, Metro Meals on Wheels is introducing two new menu items featuring teff, a fine grain that grows predominately in the African country of Ethiopia. The recipe for pear crisp features teff flour and the rainbow coleslaw uses teff seeds.

Teff has a mild, nutty flavor and is a great addition to cooked cereal, soups/stews, rice pilaf or baked goods. It is higher in protein than wheat and has a high concentration of a variety of nutrients, including calcium, thiamin and iron.  

Interesting teff facts:
•    150 teff grains are equal in size to one kernel of wheat.
•    One pound of teff can produce up to one ton of grain in as little as 12 weeks.
•    3,000 grains of teff weighs only one gram.
•    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.
•    Teff requires only 36 hours to sprout, the shortest time of any grain.

Teff has a local Treasure Valley connection. Maskal Teff (The Teff Company) in Caldwell grows and packages the grain, which is shipped to Ethiopian restaurants and sold in specialty grocery stores and health food stores across the country. Thank you to Wayne and Elizabeth Carlson, owners of Maskal Teff, for the kind donation of teff flour and grain for our featured new menu items