Foxtail millet

Setaria italica, S. viridis

grain

Small round grains of an Asian cereal, foxtail millet, gluten-free; as porridge or bread in China, India and Burma. It provides fibre and starch.

Origin

China

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

Rinsed, the grains cook for 15 to 20 minutes in two and a half times their volume of water, like rice, or longer as porridge; they are also eaten as flour. Soaking, sprouting or sourdough bring its phytates down — and release the zinc and iron they were holding.

Molecules

Resistant starch RS1 · Insoluble fibersIn small amounts, not counted ArabinoxylansWhat slows things down Phytates

Did you know?

China is the leading producer; elsewhere its seeds mostly feed caged birds, hence its French name, bird millet.