Teff: the gluten-free cereal with exceptional qualities… (not only for human consumption)…
Teff is the smallest cereal in the world, its size is often a source of surprise for farmers who approach this crop, even if its cultivation is less complex than it seems. But before talking about its cultivation, let’s try to understand what Teff is and what its origins are.
This cereal, typical of Eritrea and Ethiopia, where it represents the main food source, was practically unknown in Europe until a few years ago, but is arousing much interest due to its nutritional qualities. Its name (“Teff”) comes from the Aramaic language and means “lost”, its seeds are in fact so small that it is easy to lose it even when holding it in your hands.
It is known as the smallest cereal among the cultivated species and the exponential growth in demand is starting to spark interest among European farmers as well.
Teff is the smallest cereal in the world, its size is often a source of surprise for farmers who approach this crop, even if its cultivation is less complex than it seems. But before talking about its cultivation, let’s try to understand what Teff is and what its origins are.
This cereal, typical of Eritrea and Ethiopia, where it represents the main food source, was practically unknown in Europe until a few years ago, but is arousing much interest due to its nutritional qualities. Its name (“Teff”) comes from the Aramaic language and means “lost”, its seeds are in fact so small that it is easy to lose it even when holding it in your hands.
It is known as the smallest cereal among the cultivated species and the exponential growth in demand is starting to spark interest among European farmers as well.
White teff
Brown teff
Would you like to grow teff in your farm?
We can provide you high quality seeds of white and brown teff
Click here to find out more
Would you like to grow teff in your farm?
We can provide you high quality seeds of white and brown teff
Click here to find out more
Why is the demand for Teff growing so much?
There are many reasons that have increased the demand for Teff, and they are not all that different from the reasons that have increased the interest in Quinoa, Amaranth, Chía and other superfoods.
The first reason is undoubtedly the increase in gluten intolerance and celiac disease, which has generated an expansion of the market for all gluten-free products. In fact, Teff, just like Quinoa, is a gluten-free food, with a low glycaemic index and load, which is a very important aspect for those suffering from celiac disease.
An equally significant impact is due to the increasing number of people who follow vegan or vegetarian diets and are looking for particularly nutritious foods complete with microelements, amino acids, and mineral salts. From this point of view, Teff, as we can see in the table below, offers, in many cases, a higher intake than other cereals. Furthermore, we must also consider the general greater attention of consumers towards a balanced and varied diet, moving from meat to vegetable proteins. Finally, Teff is becoming a “cool” food increasingly featured in recipes and posts of influencers.
In Europe, the potential of Teff is probably higher than that of Quinoa.
Would you like to grow teff in your farm?
Would you like to grow teff in your farm?
In fact, agronomically, it is a crop that has no photoperiod problems, is more rustic than Quinoa and the agronomic techniques are very similar to those of the cereal. Furthermore, being a plant with a very short cycle, it can also be grown as a second crop (in this case, irrigation is obviously necessary). We think that Teff could be even more successful and popular than Quinoa considering that consumption and demand for Teff are growing without any promotional or advertising boost, unlike Quinoa which in 2013 got a promotional boost with “The International Year of Quinoa”, which led it to become known all over the world with numerous research projects in all fields. Teff, to this day, shines with its own light and we are sure that this cereal will occupy a prominent place in the paradise of gluten-free foods.
Teff is distinguished into white teff and brown teff (also called “red” or “dark”). White teff is certainly more known and widespread as the main use of Teff is grinding for very high-quality flours and the white colour is certainly preferred. In addition, brown teff has a more intense flavour, with an even more pronounced nutty aftertaste than the lighter version, which instead presents a more distinctive and pleasant flavour.
Teff as summer fodder crop
In addition to its benefits for human nutrition, this plant is equally interesting for the production of fodder for livestock use. Teff has been enjoying great success as a fodder plant in the United States for several decades, and in recent years its use in the livestock sector has also been growing in Europe. The increasing interest in this cereal for animal feed is mainly due to its agronomic and nutritional characteristics.
How to grow fodder teff?
Read the article on our blog
Read the article on our blog
How to grow fodder teff?
Read the article on our blog
Read the article on our blog
We could summarize the main advantages of fodder teff in 5 points:
A livestock farm can derive important benefits from the inclusion of teff in its crop rotations, first of all the possibility of producing hay as second crop, with a significant increase in annual productivity, but an even more interesting aspect can be the use of teff as a “emergency crop”. In some years, due to adverse weather conditions, the quality or quantity of spring hay may not be enough to satisfy farm requirements (it happened in 2023 in Italy). In this case, late sowing of teff, on the same land on which the spring hays were harvested, can guarantee quality hay production in summer.
