East African Grain 'Teff' Grows in Popularity in US
2022-04-04
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1An ancient grain native to the Horn of Africa, called teff, is growing in popularity in the United States.
2It is being grown in the American West and Midwest.
3Growers note its increasing appeal as a "super food" that is rich in iron.
4One of those farmers is Tesfa Drar.
5He grew up helping his parents raise teff in what is now Eritrea.
6When he came to the United States for college in 1981, he missed injera, the flatbread made out of teff that is popular in the Horn of Africa.
7Tesfa said, "I decided to bring 20 pounds [of teff] from home and I planted it at the University of Minnesota, where I was studying."
8He added, "From there, I gave it to different colleges and universities for research."
9Tesfa now grows the grain in northern Nevada.
10His company Selam Foods sells it online on a website that shares cooking suggestions for injera and information about the history of teff.
11The grass is one of the oldest domesticated plants in the world.
12Tesfa farms more than 2,400 hectares of land in Nevada, Minnesota, and in six other states.
13His operation in northwestern Nevada is near Winnemucca, a town that has 24-hour casinos as well as a farming community that grows potatoes, alfalfa, wheat and corn.
14In recent years, more farmers are reacting to the growing demand for foods that do not have gluten in them by planting teff.
15Land committed to teff production "has exploded" in recent years, reports the University of Nevada-Reno.
16It estimates the crop is grown in at least 25 U.S. states.
17Down the road from Tesfa's place, at Desert Oasis Teff and Grain in Fallon, John Getto and his son Myles say they are growing "ancient grains for modern tastes."
18They sell a lot of teff to buyers in California and smaller amounts locally or online.
19"Nevada has the perfect climate for teff, which is the nice part," Myles Getto said.
20"It is hot. Very, very hot. Very little rainfall, but we do irrigate our teff. It's just a good climate to grow teff in."
21University of Nevada-Reno researchers are working to develop shorter, more drought-tolerant kinds of teff.
22John Cushman, a professor who directs the biochemistry graduate program, said that such research is especially important for farmers in Nevada, America's driest state.
23Cushman said, "As the western United States is getting drier and drier due to global climate change, we felt it important to make an investment in some alternate crops."
24Alternate is a term that means offering a choice or different from what is usual.
25Bob Dexter added teff to his usual crops on his farm along the Carson River.
26"I wanted to grow something besides cattle food," said Dexter.
27He has grown wheat, barley and alfalfa.
28But he said: "I wanted to raise something that was good food for people to eat. And when I found out about the teff, it looked like a good fit for what we have here to work with in our climate."
29Tesfa Drar said the high-fiber "super food" has global appeal, adding that teff can be used to make all kinds of foods that are popular in America.
30"Teff can be used for making cookies, for making pancakes, porridge, and you can make it for pizza," Tesfa said.
31"... Now we are working with Pizza Hut to provide them gluten-free teff so they can make it for pizza."
32I'm John Russell.
1An ancient grain native to the Horn of Africa, called teff, is growing in popularity in the United States. It is being grown in the American West and Midwest. Growers note its increasing appeal as a "super food" that is rich in iron. 2One of those farmers is Tesfa Drar. He grew up helping his parents raise teff in what is now Eritrea. 3When he came to the United States for college in 1981, he missed injera, the flatbread made out of teff that is popular in the Horn of Africa. 4Tesfa said, "I decided to bring 20 pounds [of teff] from home and I planted it at the University of Minnesota, where I was studying." He added, "From there, I gave it to different colleges and universities for research." 5Tesfa now grows the grain in northern Nevada. His company Selam Foods sells it online on a website that shares cooking suggestions for injera and information about the history of teff. The grass is one of the oldest domesticated plants in the world. 6Tesfa farms more than 2,400 hectares of land in Nevada, Minnesota, and in six other states. His operation in northwestern Nevada is near Winnemucca, a town that has 24-hour casinos as well as a farming community that grows potatoes, alfalfa, wheat and corn. 7In recent years, more farmers are reacting to the growing demand for foods that do not have gluten in them by planting teff. Land committed to teff production "has exploded" in recent years, reports the University of Nevada-Reno. It estimates the crop is grown in at least 25 U.S. states. 8Down the road from Tesfa's place, at Desert Oasis Teff and Grain in Fallon, John Getto and his son Myles say they are growing "ancient grains for modern tastes." They sell a lot of teff to buyers in California and smaller amounts locally or online. 9"Nevada has the perfect climate for teff, which is the nice part," Myles Getto said. "It is hot. Very, very hot. Very little rainfall, but we do irrigate our teff. It's just a good climate to grow teff in." 10University of Nevada-Reno researchers are working to develop shorter, more drought-tolerant kinds of teff. John Cushman, a professor who directs the biochemistry graduate program, said that such research is especially important for farmers in Nevada, America's driest state. 11Cushman said, "As the western United States is getting drier and drier due to global climate change, we felt it important to make an investment in some alternate crops." 12Alternate is a term that means offering a choice or different from what is usual. 13Bob Dexter added teff to his usual crops on his farm along the Carson River. 14"I wanted to grow something besides cattle food," said Dexter. He has grown wheat, barley and alfalfa. But he said: "I wanted to raise something that was good food for people to eat. And when I found out about the teff, it looked like a good fit for what we have here to work with in our climate." 15Tesfa Drar said the high-fiber "super food" has global appeal, adding that teff can be used to make all kinds of foods that are popular in America. 16"Teff can be used for making cookies, for making pancakes, porridge, and you can make it for pizza," Tesfa said. "... Now we are working with Pizza Hut to provide them gluten-free teff so they can make it for pizza." 17I'm John Russell. 18Tewelde Tasfagabir reported this story for VOANEWS. Trésor M. Matondo contributed to it. John Russel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19_______________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21domesticated - adj. : adapted over time (as by selective breeding) from a wild or natural state to life in close association with people 22casino - n. a building used for gambling, a game of chance in which the goal is to win money 23gluten - n. a protein especially in wheat that is important to making bread but that some people avoid eating 24irrigate - v. to supply crops and plants with water 25drought - n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain