A little-known grain from the Horn of Africa known as teff is gaining popularity in Oregon for being gluten-free.
A little-known grain from the Horn of Africa known as teff is gaining popularity in Oregon for being gluten-free.
Farmers in Oregon cultivate about 3,000 acres of teff for hay, said Rich Roseberg, an Oregon State University Extension agent in Klamath Falls. They grow another 1,000 acres for food grain, he estimated.
Nationally, fewer than 10,000 acres are believed dedicated to food grain production of teff for milling into flour. That’s in stark contrast to 53 million acres of wheat, 73 million acres of corn and 73 million acres of soybeans harvested annually in the United States.
Consumers, however, are catching the buzz that teff is nutritious, gluten-free and can be baked into breads, cookies, pizza crusts and other pastries. It’s widely used in East Africa for a flatbread called injera, for a porridge similar to cream of wheat and as a fermented alcoholic beverage.
Read more at OregonLive.com.
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