Old Hickory
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- May 4, 2010
- Location
- Enders, Pa.
As history nuts, foods are often set aside in favor of dates, places, events, and people, but these people had to eat. Let's open a discussion on what they ate. I'm talking about the raw foods for nutrition, (recipes are always welcome of course) from the dawn of man to the present.
I'd like to start with a grain, Millet. From what I've read, millet is among the most nutritious grains grown. It seems to thrive in warm dry climates, but does well almost anywhere due to it's short growing season. Classified as a grass, it produces long strands of seeds that are harvested and used as a staple food in many parts of the less developed world. Several major varieties include, pearl, finger, foxtail, and proso with some lesser varieties also grown. In the U.S. currently it's grown mainly as bird food, but there are mills that process it for human consumption. Some places it's grown as a grazing food for animals. It's even been used to brew beer.
Here's some nutrition facts;
Nutrient profile comparison of millet with other food staples
Synopsis[17] ~ composition: Cassava[18] Wheat[19] Rice[20] Sweetcorn[21] Potato[22] Sorghum
Millet[23] Proso
Millet[24]
Component
(per 100g portion, raw grain) Amount Amount Amount Amount Amount Amount Amount
water (g) 60 13.1 12 76 82 9.2 8.7
energy (kJ) 667 1368 1527 360 288 1418 1582
protein (g) 1.4 12.6 7 3 1.7 11.3 11
fat (g) 0.3 1.5 1 1 0.1 3.3 4.2
carbohydrates (g) 38 71.2 79 19 16 75 73
fiber (g) 1.8 12.2 1 3 2.4 6.3 8.5
sugars (g) 1.7 0.4 >0.1 3 1.2 1.9
iron (mg) 0.27 3.2 0.8 0.5 0.5 4.4 3
manganese (mg) 0.4 3.9 1.1 0.2 0.1 <0.1 1.6
calcium (mg) 16 29 28 2 9 28 8
magnesium (mg) 21 126 25 37 21 <120 114
phosphorus (mg) 27 288 115 89 62 287 285
potassium (mg) 271 363 115 270 407 350 195
zinc (mg) 0.3 2.6 1.1 0.5 0.3 <1 1.7
pantothenic acid (mg) 0.1 0.9 1.0 0.7 0.3 <0.9 0.8
vitB6 (mg) 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 <0.3 0.4
folate (µg) 27 38 8 42 18 <25 85
thiamin (mg) 0.1 0.38 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.4
riboflavin (mg) <0.1 0.1 >0.1 0.1 >0.1 0.1 0.3
niacin (mg) 0.9 5.5 1.6 1.8 1.1 2.9 4.7
Nutrient Content of Various Millets with comparison to Rice and Wheat (Source: Millet Network of India, http://www.milletindia.org )
Crop / Nutrient Protein(g) Fiber(g) Minerals(g) Iron(mg) Calcium(mg)
Pearl millet 10.6 1.3 2.3 16.9 38
Finger millet 7.3 3.6 2.7 3.9 344
Foxtail millet 12.3 8 3.3 2.8 31
Proso millet 12.5 2.2 1.9 0.8 14
Kodo millet 8.3 9 2.6 0.5 27
Little millet 7.7 7.6 1.5 9.3 17
Barnyard millet 11.2 10.1 4.4 15.2 11
Rice 6.8 0.2 0.6 0.7 10
Wheat 11.8 1.2 1.5 5.3 41
It's said millet was an bread staple in ancient times and continues to feed a good bit of the populations of India, China, Russia, and Africa. I've not tried it myself yet, but it's available from several mills here in the U.S. for human consumption. Anybody have any recipes for baking with millet?
What do you have as a raw nutritious food?
I'd like to start with a grain, Millet. From what I've read, millet is among the most nutritious grains grown. It seems to thrive in warm dry climates, but does well almost anywhere due to it's short growing season. Classified as a grass, it produces long strands of seeds that are harvested and used as a staple food in many parts of the less developed world. Several major varieties include, pearl, finger, foxtail, and proso with some lesser varieties also grown. In the U.S. currently it's grown mainly as bird food, but there are mills that process it for human consumption. Some places it's grown as a grazing food for animals. It's even been used to brew beer.
Here's some nutrition facts;
Nutrient profile comparison of millet with other food staples
Synopsis[17] ~ composition: Cassava[18] Wheat[19] Rice[20] Sweetcorn[21] Potato[22] Sorghum
Millet[23] Proso
Millet[24]
Component
(per 100g portion, raw grain) Amount Amount Amount Amount Amount Amount Amount
water (g) 60 13.1 12 76 82 9.2 8.7
energy (kJ) 667 1368 1527 360 288 1418 1582
protein (g) 1.4 12.6 7 3 1.7 11.3 11
fat (g) 0.3 1.5 1 1 0.1 3.3 4.2
carbohydrates (g) 38 71.2 79 19 16 75 73
fiber (g) 1.8 12.2 1 3 2.4 6.3 8.5
sugars (g) 1.7 0.4 >0.1 3 1.2 1.9
iron (mg) 0.27 3.2 0.8 0.5 0.5 4.4 3
manganese (mg) 0.4 3.9 1.1 0.2 0.1 <0.1 1.6
calcium (mg) 16 29 28 2 9 28 8
magnesium (mg) 21 126 25 37 21 <120 114
phosphorus (mg) 27 288 115 89 62 287 285
potassium (mg) 271 363 115 270 407 350 195
zinc (mg) 0.3 2.6 1.1 0.5 0.3 <1 1.7
pantothenic acid (mg) 0.1 0.9 1.0 0.7 0.3 <0.9 0.8
vitB6 (mg) 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 <0.3 0.4
folate (µg) 27 38 8 42 18 <25 85
thiamin (mg) 0.1 0.38 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.4
riboflavin (mg) <0.1 0.1 >0.1 0.1 >0.1 0.1 0.3
niacin (mg) 0.9 5.5 1.6 1.8 1.1 2.9 4.7
Nutrient Content of Various Millets with comparison to Rice and Wheat (Source: Millet Network of India, http://www.milletindia.org )
Crop / Nutrient Protein(g) Fiber(g) Minerals(g) Iron(mg) Calcium(mg)
Pearl millet 10.6 1.3 2.3 16.9 38
Finger millet 7.3 3.6 2.7 3.9 344
Foxtail millet 12.3 8 3.3 2.8 31
Proso millet 12.5 2.2 1.9 0.8 14
Kodo millet 8.3 9 2.6 0.5 27
Little millet 7.7 7.6 1.5 9.3 17
Barnyard millet 11.2 10.1 4.4 15.2 11
Rice 6.8 0.2 0.6 0.7 10
Wheat 11.8 1.2 1.5 5.3 41
It's said millet was an bread staple in ancient times and continues to feed a good bit of the populations of India, China, Russia, and Africa. I've not tried it myself yet, but it's available from several mills here in the U.S. for human consumption. Anybody have any recipes for baking with millet?
What do you have as a raw nutritious food?