Cenchrus grain

Cenchrus prieurii

grain

Grain of a Sahel grass, an important food for some desert nomads, crushed into porridge; elsewhere, a famine grain.

Origin

Sahel, Arabia and northern India

Where to find it

It grows in the sands and stabilized dunes of the Sahel, from Senegal to Sudan.

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

The grains are freed from their prickly burs by threshing, winnowed, then cooked into porridge for about twenty minutes; they are eaten cooked.

Molecules

In small amounts, not counted Arabinoxylans · Magnesium · Insoluble fibers

Did you know?

In India it is mixed with pearl millet to make bread.