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Teff: Tiny but Tough

Last week, we took a look at buckwheat, and now it’s time to give teff a try! For our second look at gluten-free grains, I’m turning to this tiny ancient variety – the smallest grain in the world, actually! In fact, the word “teff” actually translates to “lost” in English, since dropped grains would be almost impossible to locate.

Tiny but tough

The Ethiopian cuisine staple offers a nutty flavour, while packing a nutritional punch! Beating out the grain competition when it comes to calcium, teff offers 123 milligrams of the bone-building mineral in each cooked cup. (NOTE: Osteoporosis Canada and Health Canada recommend that adult females shoot for 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day.) Teff offers an impressive amount of vitamin C for a grain, plus 20 to 40 percent of its carbs come from resistant starches – a dietary fiber that has been found to offer blood sugar, weight control and colon health benefits.

Now what?


Now that I’ve piqued your interest, are you wondering how to actually eat the stuff? Cook teff grains for 20 minutes, using a 1:3 teff-to-water ratio for a side dish or as the base of your main course. It can also be steamed and baked. Or, try it in lieu of seeds, nuts or other small grains when baking or making burger patties, stir-fries or casseroles.
The celiac-friendly grain can also be found in flour form – substitute teff for about a fourth of the all-purpose flour called for in your baked goods recipes.

Always living with passion,

Sammie