Cooking with Fonio 101
Introduction
This post covers the history of fonio and its culinary uses.
First of all, what is fonio?
Fonio is one of the most ancient grains you may never have heard of.
It is a delicious tiny gluten-free grain native to West Africa.
I did not even know about fonio until a couple of years back when it started to be promoted in the U.S. market, especially under the brand Yolele available through major supermarkets and online at Amazon.
Names for Fonio
Fonio’s latin name is Digitaria and there are two main types grown in West Africa – white fonio (Digitaria exilis) and black fonio (Digitaria iburua).
There are many other regional names for fonio including acha, fundi and hungry rice as listed in this link.
West African white fonio is the one currently marketed in the U.S. for human consumption.
Fonio History
Fonio is believed to have been cultivated in the grasslands of West Africa for over 7000 years and it was a staple crop in many areas.
“Lost Crop”
Prior to the push to grow commodity crops in colonized West African nations in the late 19ths century, the cultivation of fonio and other crops indigenous to Africa was much more widespread.
These indigenous crops have been called the “lost crops” of Africa and with the renewed focus on adapting to changing climatic conditions many have been making a comeback.
Food Security
On the one hand, harvesting and processing of the tiny fonio grain is very labor intensive.
On the other hand, fonio is great for local food security.
Thanks to its deep root system, fonio is able to thrive on marginal, dry, depleted soils where other crops cannot take hold.
There are fonio varieties that can grow in as little as six weeks, making it especially valuable food for farmers as they wait for their longer growing crops to mature.
Flavor
The mild, nutty flavor of fonio is particularly prized and in several cultures, fonio was traditionally reserved for special occasions, for royalty or as part of the bride price.
Nutritional Benefits of Fonio
Fonio is gluten-free which makes it especially appreciated today by people with gluten intolerance.
Fonio is a good source of B vitamins, iron, zinc and magnesium.
Fonio is high in methionine and cysteine, two important sulfur based amino acids which our modern day diet is typically low in.
Fonio is easily digested and as a result is often fed to infants and those recuperating from illness.
Fonio is lower on the glycemic index than many grains and therefore is worth considering for those trying to manage diabetes.
Is Fonio a Whole Grain?
The majority of fonio sold in the U.S. market is pearled fonio though it is simply labeled as fonio.
The inedible outer husk of the fonio grain has been removed and the grain has been roasted or parboiled.
According to this source, the pearling process also removes the bitter saponins contained in the outer fonio layer.
Because pearled fonio has been minimally processed, it is often labeled as a whole grain similar to whole wheat couscous.
Pearled fonio has more than double the fiber of white rice.
I must confess that I originally purchased pearled fonio, believing it was a completely unprocessed whole grain.
As a result, I was not able to do some of the trials I do with whole grains such as sprouting, growing into grass or popping but I did find out some interesting information which is shared here.
Pearled fonio is what I used for all the cooking instructions listed in this post.
Culinary Uses of Fonio
Fonio is a delicious, mild, slightly nutty tasting grain that has many culinary uses similar to couscous or rice.
Fonio as a Rice/Couscous Substitute
Pearled fonio is a very quick cooking grain.
Stovetop
To prepare pearled fonio as a rice/couscous substitute, use a 2:1 ratio of liquid to grain.
One cup of pearled fonio will yield 4 cups of cooked fonio (4 portions).
- Bring the liquid to a boil.
- Stir in the fonio with a pinch of salt.
- Cover pot.
- Bring the liquid back to a boil (about a minute).
- Remove from heat quickly (to prevent grains from sticking to bottom of pan) and keep covered for 5 or more minutes until liquid is fully absorbed.
- Fluff fonio grain before serving.
Soaked Method
While instructions can be found to microwave fonio, it is a bit risky as different microwaves behave differently.
A far safer, less messy method is to soak it.
Per this link, pearled fonio can be soaked exactly like quick cooking couscous.
Use 2:1 ratio of liquid to grain with a pinch of salt.
- Boil your water.
- Pour boiled water of fonio in a heat proof container.
- Cover with a tight lid and let rest 10 minutes, until liquid is fully absorbed.
- Fluff fonio grain before serving.
Steamed Fonio
You may see cookbook recipes that call for steamed fonio, but from what I could determine, they are using raw fonio, which is not typically available in the U.S. market.
If you do have a recipe that calls for steaming fonio, the pearled fonio is likely to cook in half the time provided.
Fonio Porridge/Pudding
Fonio porridge is very nutritious and easy to digest.
It is excellent for young children or anyone recuperating from illness.
Stovetop Method
Fonio porridge uses a 4:1 ratio of liquid to grain.
The easiest way to make the porridge is to start cooking the fonio with half the liquid (typically water), as if making a rice side dish as instructed above.
Once the fonio is cooked, then stir in the remaining half of the liquid (i.e. plant milk ) and flavorings of choice (i.e. cinnamon, sweetener, raisins, etc).
Continue stirring over the stovetop set to medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Serve hot as a porridge or cold as a pudding.
Fonio Flour
You can purchase fonio flour or make it yourself.
Pearled fonio can easily be ground into a flour with a high speed blender or stone mill.
I would not recommend using a micronizer mill as they are known not to do well with tiny grains.
(For more information on milling grains, please see this post.)
Grinding Fonio in a Blender
It is best to grind smaller quantities of pearled fonio, such as one cup, at a time in a high speed blender.
Typically, blending for 30 seconds is sufficient.
The flour will be a bit coarse.
Milling Fonio in a Stone Mill
Set your stone mill to the finest setting you can, without the stones touching.
The resulting fonio flour will be more fine then the blender version.
Fonio Flour Characteristics
As mentioned earlier, fonio has a delightful, nutty flavor and the flour has that same characteristic.
Even the finest fonio flour will be slightly grainy, in a similar way to home milled rice flour.
Like rice flour, fonio flour is gluten free and therefore it will not rise.
Fonio Flour Uses
Fonio flour works great on its own in cookie and pie crust recipes.
Fonio flour is best added at most as a third of the flour in any risen bread recipe.
Fonio flour can be used as a gluten free thickener in sauces and gravies.
Fonio Milk
Cooked fonio can be transformed into a plant milk by blending 3 parts liquid to 1 part cooked fonio in a high speed blender for about a minute.
For a thicker milk, start with 2 parts liquid and add more liquid until you achieve your desired consistency.
Fonio milk is quite mild.
Like other plant based milks, adding a sweetener like maple syrup or soaked dates, will give it a more dessert like flavor.
Fonio Seeds, Sprouts and Plants
As discussed earlier, the fonio I tested is pearled fonio and therefore not a raw, unprocessed grain.
I was not aware of this initially and I tried to sprout fonio, not surprisingly, without success.
If you are interested in sprouting fonio or planting it, you will need to get raw fonio unhulled seeds.
Keep in mind that fonio is part of the digitaria species and there is a Central European relative commonly found in North America.
There are over 300 digitaria species but only 4 are commonly cultivated as cereals for human consumption.
Besides the two West African fonio, species, there is an Indian species (Digitaria cruciata) and a Central European Species (Digitaria sanguinalis), aka large crabgrass.
Large crabgrass seeds, or “manna grits“, were brought to the United States by Central European farmers in the 19th century to be used as a food crop.
It appears the cultivation of crabgrass was soon abandoned in favor of more easily processed crops such as wheat and corn.
Try as I might, I could not locate any information on how Central European crabgrass was processed into an edible cereal.
Nowadays, while crabgrass is considered a residential lawn weed, it is still valued as a nutritious forage for livestock and the leaves are apparently very sweet tasting.
But before you start juicing your lawn crabgrass, be aware that in certain stressful growth circumstances, the leaves can be cyangenic.
Hopefully, if you are interested in researching this further, the links provided in this section will give you a head start.
Popped Fonio?
I tried to pop pearled fonio seeds on the stovetop over high heat but they just got more toasted.
I suspect that if I had used raw fonio seeds, it would be possible to pop them, just like other grains.
If anyone has tried and succeeded, I would love to hear about it in the comments.
Fonio Cookbook
The Fonio Cookbook by the Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam is a popular book about fonio.
While not a plant-based cookbook, many of the recipes are naturally vegan and approachable versions of Senegalese dishes.
The book delves into the history of fonio, its cultivation and makes a case for fonio as an environmentally friendly grain worth promoting.
Fonio Recipes
Besides Pierre Thiam’s cookbook, there is a growing list of fonio recipes that can be found online through Google or Pinterest search.
Keep in mind that any of your rice or couscous recipes can be easily swapped for fonio.
Where to Buy Fonio
Fonio is starting to appear on grocery store shelves, so the first place to look is there.
You can also buy fonio on Amazon.
The Yolele brand sells pearled fonio, fonio flour, fonio chips and fonio flavored pilafs.
Currently, you can expect to pay around $10 a pound for fonio.
It is still on the pricey side and you may decide, as it is the custom in some West African cultures, to reserve it for special occasions.
But you are gluten-free, fonio may be priced comparably to other specialty gluten-free products and worth including in your grocery haul.
Conclusion
Fonio is definitely a tasty addition to the range of grains available on our grocery shelves.
For any foodie out there who wants to expand their palette, I definitely recommend giving fonio a try.
You are likely to have a grainlicious experience 🙂
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All information in this post is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute nutritional, medical or health advice.
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