Scientific name: Digitaria exilis
Family: Poaceae; Subfamily: Panicoideae; Genus: Digitaria
Vernacular
names
Fonio, hungry rice, white fonio (En). Fonio, fonio blanc, petit mil (Fr).
Origin and geographic distribution. Fonio is
only known from cultivation and its exact origin is unknown, but it is of
ancient cultivation in West Africa. It may have derived from Digitaria
longiflora (Retz.) Pers. in the inland delta region of the Niger.
Common names
Fonio, white fonio, hungry rice, hungry millet, hungry koos, fundi
millet, petit mil, findo findi, acha, fonyo, fundenyo, afio, fini, fundi,
ipoga, foundé, foni, pende, kpendo, founié,
pounié.
Main use and benefits
Historical
records of the use of fonio as a cereal go back to the 14th century. Nowadays
fonio is grown scattered from Cape Verde and Senegal to Lake Chad, especially
on the Fouta Djallon Plateau in Guinea, the Bauchi Plateau in Nigeria and in
north-western Benin. It is also grown in the Dominican Republic
Fonio is a highly palatable cereal that is drought tolerant. It is
often consumed in West Africa before most crops are ready to harvest because it
is one of the world’s fastest maturing cereals. It is believed to be one of the
oldest cereals in West Africa, where it is indigenous. In some parts of Africa,
like in regions of Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Nigeria, it is a major part
of the diet and in some places in Guinea it is even considered the staple.
Fonio is a fast maturing rate crop; this allows it to help humans
during “hungry times” by being a very secure food. It is one of the most
nutritious of all grains. It has medicinal properties as well; it is given to
lactating women and diabetic people. Also, it does not contain any glutenin or
gliadin proteins, which makes it suitable for people with
gluten intolerance.
Fonio is a cereal and can be made into porridge and couscous. It
can be ground into flour and mixed with others to bake bread. It can be popped
like popcorn and brewed in beer, or just eaten as the popped product. It is one
of the best tasting cereals in the world and has been greatly preferred to
common rice by some who have done comparisons of dishes made with each.
From Lake Chad to the savannah regions of Senegal and Guinea,
fonio is an important food source for some 4 million people across West Africa.
Fonio is one of the most nutritious of all grains. It is rich in important
essential amino acids that are not found in wheat, rice, maize, or sorghum—such
as methionine, leucine, valine and
cystine, which help synthesize protein. In gross nutritional
composition, fonio differs little from wheat. The husked grain of white fonio
has been shown to contain 8% protein, and in black fonio, 11.8% protein.
The difference lies in the amino acids it contains. In the white
fonio analysis, for example, the protein contained 7.3% methionine plus
cysteine. The amino acid profile compared to that of whole-egg protein showed
that except for the low score of 46% for lysine, the other scores were high
including 127% for leucine and 189% for methionine. It is also rich in iron,
with 8.5 mg per serving, meeting at least half of the daily requirement.
Fonio is a staple food in various parts of
West Africa, where it is also known as ‘acha’ or ‘fundi’, but it is also a
prestige food (‘chief’s food’) and a gourmet item. In the Hausa regions of
Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana, special couscous types (‘wusu-wusu’) are
prepared with fonio. In southern Togo, the Akposso and Akebou people prepare
fonio with beans in a dish for special occasions.
Fonio grain is a valuable, easily digested
feed for farm animals. The straw and chaff are excellent fodder and are often
sold in markets for this purpose. Chopped fonio straw is mixed with clay to
build walls of houses. The straw is also used as fuel for cooking or to produce
ash for potash. Fonio grain is considered to have medicinal properties; it is
recommended for lactating women and diabetic people.
Fonio (Digitaria exilis stapf.), an
underutilized cereal, has the potential of providing enough food for the
increasing population of people in West Africa and in the continent . Fonio
contains about 7% crude protein that is high in leucine (9.8%), methionine
(5.6%) and valine (5.8%) [6]. Among legumes, cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is
predominantly grown and consumed in Nigeria. It is observed that cowpea is
economically and nutritionally important legume as major source of proteins in
developing countries. In addition to amino acid profile and digestibility, the
nutritional quality of cowpea and other legumes is compromised by the presence
of anti-nutritional factors, mostly trypsin inhibitor .
Digitaria exilis also known as Acha is a
tropical small-seeded cereal of great genetic developmental potential. It has
several economic uses, long storage qualities, impressive nutritional and
organoleptic qualities. The crop is faced with problems such as low yield,
small grains that shatters and matures unevenly, hence, the crop is neglected
and very little information is available on its improvement by mutagenesis.
Digitaria
exilis also
known as Acha is a tropical small-seeded cereal of great genetic
developmental potential. It has several economic uses, long storage qualities,
impressive nutritional and organoleptic qualities.
Fonio
is recognised for its superior nutritional properties among cereals, excelling
in protein and micronutrient qualities. Fonio is also regarded as a grain with
medicinal and healing properties, in line with the local integral view on
nutrition and healthcare. In fact, fonio is considered the most digestive
cereal of the West African drylands. It is also highly recommended for diabetic
people, and often used in diets of sick people.
Fonio
has also rich cultural values and significance among the dryland peoples of
West Africa. For instance, it plays a central role in social events and
celebrations. Fonio is largely recognised for its excellent culinary values. In
fact, it is attracting some interest in elite gastronomic markets at national
and international levels. In addition, fonio is regarded as a sacred crop among
some rural peoples of West Africa, owing to its excellent agroecological
capacities, its critical food security roles, its nutritional and healthcare
properties, and its culinary uses.
Culture
Are there any specific taboos, specific cultural adaptations, historical
perspective? Although it is referred to as ‘hungry rice’ in English, this is
actually a term made by Europeans who misunderstood the original use for the
crop. While it is good for those in hunger because of its growth rate, it was
actually grown because the locals liked the taste, and it was reserved for
royalty and special occasions. Some still use it in ancestor
worship and see it as a sacred crop. West Africans say “the best
way to judge a woman’s stamina – essential in a good wife – is to watch her
preparing fonio.” Preparing it is a painstaking task, which is why its
cultivation is disappearing. Fortunately, a fonio husking machine was invented
in the 1990s, which makes the process much easier.
References:
Nutritional properties of Fonio: health claims and Evidence
Assessment of fonio (Digitaria exilis) as a dietary
intervention in Northern
Ghana
Cereals and pulses/Céréales et légumes secs Record display
Traditional and possible technological uses of Digitaria
exilis (acha) and Digitaria iburua (iburu): a review.
Traditional and possible
technological uses of Digitaria exilis (acha) and Digitaria iburua (iburu): a
review
Structure and Nutritional Composition of Fonio (Digitaria exilis)
Grains :A Review
Developments
on the cereal grains Digitaria exilis (acha) and Digitaria
iburua(iburu)
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