"millet" news and stories

I'm sure we're all aware by now that there's a rice shortage going on. Lots of factors contribute, but the bottom line is that even in the first world there is some rationing going on. But what happens if it gets worse?

The BBC recently posted this article about some possible rice replacements. Quinoa, the native South American grain, was first on the list. I think a lot of people are aware of quinoa by now, but how many people have heard of fufu? That's a west African dish made from cassava, but apparently it's not well known outside of that region's population.

Most of the other grains in the BBC article are familiar, like millet and bulgur. I know there are plenty of other grains out there, and lots of edible plants that we just don't eat. Maybe we should start thinking about that kind of thing, now that we're having shortages of some of our staple foods.

My new favorite cereal is puffed millet. I know that sounds sort of boring, but it is really quite delicious. And apparently, it's good for more than cereal. As I was emptying the latest bag into the jar where I keep it, I noticed a recipe on the back for Cheesy Dill Squares (it's the Arrowhead Mills brand). They sound pretty yummy, sort of a savory rice crispy treat.

In a large bowl, you mix 1 cup of grated cheese, 1 teaspoon dill, 1/4 of butter, 1/2 cup of pastry flour and 1 beaten egg. Once all that is combined, you fold in 2 cups of puffed millet and then pour it all into a greased 8 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and brown. An added bonus to this recipe is that it would be easy to convert it into a wheat/gluten free one, if you were to substitute a different flour for the standard one. Happy baking!

Now that Bulgaria has joined the European Union, some of the previously high taxes on Bulgarian goods have been eliminated. Bulgaria is known for having good wine, but it is beer that has people from other EU countries flocking to the stores to buy it now that some of the taxes have been lifted. Boza beer apparently claims to help women's breasts grow larger.

Upon hearing of its claims, your first thought might be why taxes would matter, since there are surely people who would pay anything for a product - let alone a beer - that could do that. The following thought, of course, would be about how accurate this claim is.

Boza is made from fermented wheat and/or millet and has a low alcohol content. The original recipe has been around for thousands of years and dates back to Pre-Ottoman Turkey. It has always been considered to be a very healthy drink, a "warming and strengthening beverage" with approximately 1,000 calories per liter. For comparison, milk has about 630 calories per liter.

It is unlikely that Boza actually does increase the size of women's breasts, although with the high number of calories it contains, it is certainly possible that it could cause weight gain in general if enough is consumed.

Source

The main feature of today's New York Times food section is a foray into the world of cultivated truffles. Apparently cultivated black truffles are more common than many consumers think and many restaurants care to admit.

Other stories:

• Eric Asimov sings the praises of white Bordeaux.
• Mark Bittman does Moroccan chicken with green olives.
• Nigella Lawson returns with chickpea curry and herbed millet.
• Kim Severson talks about Louisiana's crawfish shortage.
• Frank Bruni visits Del Posto.
• Marian Burros gives an update on the ongoing meat-and-carbon-monoxide issue.

[Photo: Tony Cenicola/NYT]