Fonio
The fonio ( Digitaria exilis ), also known as hunger rice, millet hunger and Acha, is a cereal from the kind of finger millet ( Digitaria ) in the family of grasses ( Poaceae ), of which there are numerous varieties. At the same genus which belongs to as "Black fonio " designated Iburu ( Digitaria iburua ).
Description
The fonio is an annual, erect, herbaceous plant, the plant height reached 35 to 75 centimeters. She has short leaves. The fingers ears consist of two to five narrow part ears that are up to 15 centimeters long. The spikelets are flowered. The caryopses with one to 1.5 millimeters very small; the color ranges from white to yellow to purple.
Fonio matures according to several sources faster than all other cereals. Some varieties can already be harvested six to eight weeks after sowing. Other ripen more slowly, usually in the 165 to 180 days.
Ingredients
The grains contain an average of 6% water, 8.7% protein, 1.1% fat, 81 % carbohydrate, 1.1% crude fiber and 2.1 % ash. The proteins to be better tolerated than the other millets. Fonio is rich in methionine and cystine, two essential amino acids for humans.
Distribution and location
In Africa, this type are also grown on dry savanna sites and tolerates drought well at times. However, towards excessive dryness it is sensitive. High amounts of rainfall are well tolerated. The boundaries will be around 250 mm of annual precipitation and at 1500 mm. The main growing areas have more than 400 mm annual rainfall. Although fonio is partially grown at sea level, the main growing areas are located about 600 m above sea level.
The fonio tolerate very poor soils and thrives on sites where no other cereal stopped growing. It is mainly grown on poor, sandy soils, but also grows on rocky soils. Also on acidic clay soils with high aluminum content thrives fonio in contrast to almost all other crops well. On heavy soils, most varieties thrive bad.
In fonio it should be one of the oldest African cereal species. Any dissemination of the wild form there is no information, it can be assumed, however, that this is in West Africa, where modern landraces are also grown.
Cultivation
While significant cultivation exists only in West Africa from Lake Chad to Cape Verde, southern Mali, in the west of Burkina Faso, eastern Senegal, northern Guinea, in north-eastern Nigeria and southern Niger, where the plant, the staple food for a million people supplies ( Franke ). According to other sources, the millet is to provide the basic food for three to four million. In some regions of Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Nigeria fonio is the most important or one of the main cereals. The White fonio has its main growing area in the highland plateau of Nigeria, where it is called Acha. The second type of fonio, Iburu or Black fonio is, on the Jos - Bauchi Plateau in Nigeria and limited the northern regions of Togo and Benin.
Fonio is grown in parts of the Dominican Republic, where it has already been brought in 1500 from West Africa, long only grew as a weed, but is also grown again lately.
The cultivated area in West Africa extends approximately to a size of 300,000 ha Good yields are usually at 600 to 800 kilograms per hectare, on good soils at 1,000 kilograms. On the periphery, the yields are below 500 kg and drop to very poor soils at 150 to 200 kg. Fonio is considered the best tasting cereal in West Africa. The term " hungry rice " was coined by the British colonial rulers, but does not describe the importance of this crop. Was due to the good taste of fonio and it is eaten in some areas, especially of the upper classes ( tribal chiefs ) or on special occasions. It is also called "chief 's food". For the Dogon, a people in Mali, fonio is of great importance in ancestor worship. For them the whole universe from a Foniosamen, the smallest of the Dogon object was created.
Use
Fonio as well Iburu be similarly processed into various products. It is made into porridge and couscous; ground and mixed with other flours made into bread; and fermented into beer. In Togo, fonio is processed to popcorn.
The Hausa in Nigeria prepare two types of a couscous, wusu wusu to. The Lambas in Togo, brew beer on the White fonio ( tchapalo ).
The grain can be fed well to pets, to ruminants as well as to pigs and poultry. Also straw and chaff are fed.
The straw is mixed with clay also used for house construction. Even as fuel for cooking it is used.