Barnyard Millet

A Brief About The Origin

Echinochloa frumantacea, also known as barnyard millet, is a wild seed primarily cultivated in hilly regions of Uttaranchal, India. Under ideal weather conditions, the barnyard millet grows the fastest and can produce ripe grains 45 days after sowing. Shyama in Bengali, Moraiyo in Gujarati, Sanwa in Hindi, Oodalu in Kannada, Kuthiraivolly in Tamil, and Udalu in Telugu are some of the additional names for barnyard millet. It is nature's gift to the modern diet and sedentary lifestyle to prevent many health disorders.

The Indian Cooking Traditions 

The main step in processing these grains is to remove the outer husk layer. The grain of the corresponding millets is obtained after removal. Small barnyard millet seeds are processed into groats, which are subsequently used to make a variety of porridges. When cooked, barnyard millet tastes almost precisely like broken rice, hence the name "Sanwa rice." Like long-grain rice, it does not cook into distinct grains. The millet grain is small, white, and spherical, larger than semolina (Rawa) but smaller than sago (Sabudana).