Nile co-owner Yoseph Teklemariam cooking injera flatbread, which is made from teff flour (Photo by Justin Chesney)
When we think of crops that thrive in Virginia, corn, apples and tomatoes may come to mind. But another crop, a tiny ancient grain, holds potential to join these common foods grown in the commonwealth.
Teff, a small, nutrient-dense cereal grain native to the Horn of Africa, is the subject of research and discussion as a potential high-value crop for Virginia farmers. In October, Dr. A. Ozzie Abaye, a professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech, presented information about growing teff and answered questions from potential teff growers during a seminar at Virginia State University.
“Part of our work [at VSU] is to explore alternative crops for our farmers, especially those crops that can be grown in a small area that are profitable for the farmer,” says Dr. Wondi Mersie, associate dean and director of research at the Virginia State University College of Agriculture. Teff qualifies. The grain, about the size of a poppy seed, is packed with protein, calcium and iron, giving it high nutritional value for animals and people.
Teff (Photo via Getty Images)
Mersie says a local chicken farmer requested that VSU study crops that could serve as a food source for his free-range chickens. While the seeds are too small for use as feed, Mersie explains that chickens may be able to forage on teff as it grows. As demand for small-scale chicken farming continues to increase due to accessibility and sustainability, teff could be a good way to feed them. Beyond its nutritional value, teff is a resilient grain, well-suited to a variety of growing conditions from drought to waterlogged soils, which may prove beneficial as climate change continues to wreak havoc on farming.
At Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant in Church Hill, co-owner Yoseph Teklemariam knows all about teff. He buys 50 pounds or more of the grain each week from a variety of sources.
Teff flour is the key ingredient in injera, the staple bread of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, and you’ll find the spongy flatbread served with almost every dish at Nile. “We only use teff to make injera, and because it is a tricky and time-consuming thing to make, we also sell injera individually to many Ethiopians and others who like to cook at home but cannot or do not have time to do so.”
Teklemariam says, he would be interested in sourcing teff flour from local growers. There may be a market for the grain among other Virginia restaurateurs, especially near Washington, D.C., which has a vibrant Ethiopian and Eritrean community. Since teff is naturally gluten-free, there is also interest in using the grain for breads, cookies and other foods for people who don’t eat gluten, raising demand for teff on a global scale.
