Ethiopia’s Grain Teff Could Be Healthy Substitute For Wheat Flour

About 6.3 million farmers in Ethiopia cultivate a highly nutritious grain – teff – that is finding its way into health food stores and supermarkets in Europe and North America. Rich in calcium, iron, amino acids and protein, and gluten-free, teff can be substituted for wheat flour in bread, pasata, waffles and pizza dough. The grain has been around for a long time, But a growing appetite for traditional crops, and burgeoning demand for healthier and gluten-free foods, are enlivening the marketing prospects for the grain, “touted as Ethiopia's ‘second gift to the world’ after coffee”. One problem: government regulations from 2006 ban export of the raw grain. Only processed products can be exported.