Are you searching for some healthy grains to add to your diet? Have you tried sorghum? It is an attractive, gluten-free and versatile grain which can be used in various dishes for delicious results.
Sorghum can provide the answer if you are seeking an eco-friendly crop with gluten-free benefits or looking to reduce lectin intake in your diet. It offers both sustainability and eco-friendliness!
In this guide, we will examine the origins, types, benefits, and uses of sorghum as well as how best to prepare it and cook it perfectly.
What Is Sorghum? Also referred to as milo, jowar or guinea corn, sorghum is an ancient cereal grain in the grass family and one of the world’s oldest-cultivated crops.
Sorghum was originally grown in both ancient Africa and Asia. The first known archaeological evidence of sorghum can be found at Nabta Playa near Egypt-Sudanese border around 8,000 BCE (1).
Sorghum, as an drought-tolerant and heat-resistent crop, thrives in harsh climates where other grains cannot. Today it remains widely grown across Africa, Asia, and North America – particularly arid and semi-arid regions (2).
United States of America is currently the world’s top producer of sorghum, successfully growing it across numerous states from South Dakota to Texas known as “Sorghum Belt”. (3)
Sorghum can be found both as food and animal feed, while it has also been investigated as an ingredient to produce biofuels such as ethanol (4).
Different Types of Sorghum There are various different varieties of sorghum, each with their own characteristics and uses. Color options range from red to orange to bronze to black to tan to white – though red sorghum remains the most commonly seen variety. Other common forms include:
Sweet Sorghum: Sweet sorghum has an exceptionally high sugar content in its stalks, which can be extracted and processed into syrup, molasses or ethanol for use as animal fodder or silage feed. It is also popularly used as an animal feed source.
Grain Sorghum: Grain Sorghum produces edible seeds which can be consumed as whole grains, flour or malt products. Furthermore, grain Sorghum can also be used in brewing and distillation processes and animal feed.
Broomcorn: This type of sorghum features long and sturdy branches that can be harvested to make brooms, brushes or mats for cleaning purposes or decorative uses. In addition to being harvested for its nutritional profile.
Sorghum is an abundance of nutrients, providing carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, iron, phosphorus, potassium and antioxidants for good health.