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Eragrostis tef
Also called Abyssinian Love Grass, Teff Grass, T'ef, Tef
Teff is an annual cereal grass from the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands, grown mainly for its tiny edible seeds. It thrives in warm, dry conditions and needs little water once established.
Teff (Amharic: ጤፍ), Eragrostis tef, also known as Williams lovegrass and annual bunch grass, is an annual species of lovegrass native to Eritrea and Ethiopia, where it originated in the highlands of both countries. It has been cultivated for its edible seeds, also called teff, since at least 1000 BCE and possibly as long ago as 4000 BCE. It is one of Ethiopia and Eritrea’s most important staple crops. As a modern crop, it is low-yielding and susceptible to lodging; the teff shoot fly is a major pest.
As with many ancient crops, teff is quite adaptable; in particular, it can be cultivated both in dry environments and in wet conditions on marginal soils.
Teff is one of the most important cereals in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is grown for its edible seeds and also for its straw to feed cattle. The seeds are very small, about a millimeter in length, and a thousand grains weigh approximately 0.3 g (1⁄128 oz). They can have a color from a white to a deep reddish brown. Teff is similar to millet and quinoa in cooking, but the seed is much smaller and cooks faster, using less fuel.
Teff originated in the Ethiopian Highlands. It is mainly cultivated in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is one of the most important staple crops in these two countries, where it is used to make injera. In 2016, Ethiopia grew more than 90 percent of the world's teff. It is marginally cultivated in India, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the US, particularly in Idaho, California, Texas, and Nevada. Because of its very small seeds, a handful is enough to sow a large area. This makes teff particularly suited to a seminomadic lifestyle.
Teff is a multipurpose crop which has a high importance for the Ethiopian diet and culture. In Ethiopia, teff provides two-thirds of the daily protein intake. It is not only important for human nutrition, but also as fodder for livestock, or as building material. Teff is the main ingredient to prepare injera, a sourdough-risen flatbread. During meals, it is often eaten with meat or ground pulses. Sometimes it is also eaten as porridge. Moreover, teff can be used to prepare alcoholic drinks, called arak'e or katikalla or beer, called t'ella or fersso. Finally, due to its high mineral content, teff is also mixed with soybeans, chickpeas or other grains to manufacture baby foods.
Sticky Love Grass · Stinkgrass · Gophertail lovegrass · Naked Woollybutt Grass · Little lovegrass · Indian lovegrass · Purple lovegrass · Lovegrass
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Teff by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
