It was one of those winter afternoons, over a hot cup of spiced tea, I was chatting with family and friends about Teff. It has been a while since I have developed a genuine interest in healthy eating as well as gluten-free grains and was wishing to include teff as part of our family meal. At the end of our chats there were two points that we all agreed on: Firstly, we have been eating Teff, naturally gluten-free, every day of our lives without really appreciating the many nutritional benefits of it. And secondly there was (and still is) very little information for us to deepen our knowledge and employ it even more widely. This led me to conceive this blog that serves as a resource hub on teff information as well as a platform that will enable readers to share their contributions.
Growing up as Habesha (i.e. collective name for communities in Eritrea and Ethiopia), I ate Teff as a staple diet every day. In our traditional cuisine, Teff is made into a fermented savoury pancake called Injera. It is often eaten with chilli-spiced vegetable and or meat based dishes –Traditional Cuisine. Unfortunately, until recently, those of us living in diaspora, did not have easy access to Teff and have long shifted to making Injera for e.g. using wheat based alternatives. So perhaps it is time to re-discover this amazing grain.
Moreover, it is not only Injera that we can use teff for. Being diaspora member of the society has undoubtedly broadened our eating habits. We have already integrated in our respective new communities and already enjoy global food not only in source but also prepared in different ways. So teff could be enjoyed as: Injera when craving for traditional cuisine; as a sweet cake to get on with coffee ceremony; or even as protein salad for quick lunch. The challenge is ours and I am convinced, Teff can wear many hats.
Tefforama (this blog) will be useful for Habesha’s, as an opportunity to re-discover Teff and for the wider public to be acquainted with its many uses. The aim of the blog is to be also a resource hub for Teff related articles/news as well as a sharing platform for recipes that any citizen of the world with an interest in the grain can try. If you have any teff-related traditional, fusion or any other recipes that you would like to share in this blog, please send us a message at info@tefforama.com. Meanwhile enjoy and appreciate this tiny, but mighty grain.
Tefforama