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There is an enhanced interest; sometimes, it feels a bit overwhelming to notice the millet mania worldwide, especially in India. 2023 has been declared the International Year of Millet by the UN. It was India who proposed this noble thought, and it fructified. When analysed with due diligence, one can see the visible push millet is getting across India, particularly from 2022. Right from mass fairs promoting this grain, star hotels hosting millet fest to even the Parliament having a dedicated millet menu. These are just a few initiatives out of countless measures at a macro level. Is Millet a new founding? What is the fuss about ancient grains? Is this a marketing gimmick? What about the awareness of the proper usage of millet? As a prudent health watcher, many people like me must be reeling with such questions. To get some definite answers, I got in touch with Sangeeta Khanna, Nutrition Consultant and Product Developer for Conscious Wellness Brands.
Sangeeta studied the nutritional benefits of antioxidants found in Cyanobacteria after earning a master's in botany in the 1990s. She eventually became more inclined towards nutrition, and as someone who enjoys tinkering in the kitchen, she began creating dishes tailored to address particular ailments.
A zealous educator determined to unite the scattered pieces of indigenous food and nutrition, today, she is name to reckon with. Sangeeta has built a trustworthy community of knowledge through her Instagram handle, which describes her as a Food Consultant and reads as someone who is trailing nature. Millions of people are sensitised daily by her, including followers and non-followers, and the tribe is expanding. She also educates through her other social media handles, digital platforms and conducts in-person workshops. She has been vocal about using indigenous food produce, ingredients, grains, legumes and so on in the right manner. Sangeeta gave Slurrp an exclusive interview in which she discussed the history of millet in India, how to prepare it properly, and why it merits greater attention than it currently receives.
Excerpts:
Q. Millets have caught the attention of health enthusiasts. Can you share your understanding of ancient grain and to which category millet belongs?
All millets are ancient, and all grains have evolved from grasses. To be precise, the grass family is ancient. Among the millet types, a few kinds are older than the others. If we consider wheat, for example, many wheat varieties are recently developed. Let me clarify: when I am quoting 'Recently', it means a couple of 1000 years. Not all wheat variants are modern. Barley is one of the most ancient grains. It is older than wheat.
Q. What is ancient, and what is modern grain?
One has to take into account the timeline of a grain. Even the new ones, are a couple of 100 years. So, if the parameter to categorise a grain as modern or ancient is based on the timeline of 500 years or more, then all grains are ancient. Some variants of rice are older than the other varieties.
Q. Why such sudden mass promotion of millets?
Governments are working on reviving the millet because rice and wheat cultivation needs high water consumption, and they are resource-heavy grains. In contrast, millets need minimal water to grow. It survives and thrives in arid soil and extreme regions, where rice and wheat cannot grow so well. And, of course, millets are more nutritious.
Q. Indian inter-connectedness with millet has been time-honoured. What, according to you, has changed the landscape?
Roughly in the last two-three generations, I would say people have stopped using millet in their cooking. Earlier, maybe back in the 60s, there was a global shortage of grains, and new research was being done to breed varieties of wheat and rice to get more production. At that time, rice and wheat became much more fashionable and aspirational. Sadly, millet became the food of the poor, pushed to a corner, and was reserved for those who could not afford rice and wheat. That's how different types of millet went out of circulation.
Bajra porridge, Image Credit: Sangeeta Khanna@Instagram
Q. Is there any other reason which hindered the popularity of millet?
Yes, the altered food habits of people obviously manifested over the decades. People started consuming more refined flour and grains. Ready-to-consume food options wiped out many slow-cooked food, and millet is one of them. There is a shift in the cooking style, even the cooking utensils, kitchen gadgets etc. They are more designed towards cooking refined rice and wheat, not millet.
Q. Does modern India have the right knowledge to cook millet?
Sadly, the answer is no. And the blame goes to the methodical removal of millet from mainstream Indian cuisine over the past few generations. Those pockets of Indian communities which still use different types of millet, such as bajra, jowar, ragi etc., in their day-to-day cooking have retained the right and traditional cooking process. Else, the significant Indian population, which once used to eat millet regularly, in the past two-three generations, forgot or never received the technical know-how of millet-based recipes as a part of family culinary tradition.
Q. How the cooking process of millet is different?
Millet needs a little soaking, fermenting, and sometimes grinding as a pre-cooking method. But most of us aren't aware of it. If one studies the traditional process, millet used to be cooked and consumed very differently. These days many are trying to make rotis or Indian flatbreads with millets, and the outcome isn't tasty, but it is not the grain but the cooking process that needs to be accused. It is absolutely wrong for people who want to replace rice with millet and eat it like dal chawal or rajma chawal.
One must consume one millet at a time instead of too many in one go. And too much or wrong millet consumption can cause digestive issues and, worse, can trigger thyroid issues.
Barnyard millet tabbouleh style salad, Image Credit: Sangeeta Khanna
Q. What are the cautions one must adhere to while cooking with millet?
The first one is consuming minimal quantity. Secondly, cook millet with a lot of water. It should be hydrated or fermented well. One can also roast it and drink it like sattu or porridge. Suppose you have two wheat rotis in a day; you can't replace them with two ragi rotis of the same size and weight. It will start to dehydrate your body. Also, add hydrating side dishes along with it and add ghee as well. Millet must be cooked longer; you shouldn't expect it to be fluffy like regular polished rice. One must understand the inherent characteristics of a grain. Millet, by nature, is a highly water-starved grain.
Q. Millet's future- what do you foresee?
Even if people are stumbling, they are more aware of getting the right knowledge. So, I anticipate the millet's popularity to grow. The price one pays for millet is more than wheat and rice. But it is justified. Because the cultivation, threshing, processing and milling process are way more challenging for farmers. Most of the time, millets are threshed by hand, and the price is justified.
