The World’s Next Superfood: Injera
By Rute T.
Do you know about the latest health trend sweeping the world right now? You’d think it be some new concoction a health lover made up in their kitchen, but it’s not. Not even close, it’s injera–the bread of Ethiopia, one of the first domesticated crops back about 5,000 BC, meaning this bread is really old! So, in a sense, an old meal is coming back and taking place in our modern world. With healthy habits on the rise, this bread is enjoying a comeback in the popularity circle.
Injera is a bread that comes from Ethiopia and is eaten with everything. You simply can’t have a meal without injera! I am Ethiopian, so lucky for me, I am being trained in the fine arts of how to make wot and injera. Wot is like a stew, but usually a bit thicker, that is put on top of the Injera. Then you use the injera to pick up the wot and eat it! And let me tell you, it is the most delicious thing you will ever taste. Not only is it delicious, but injera is actually a very healthy bread for you. It has fifty percent more protein, five times the fiber, and twenty-five times the calcium than brown rice, and on top of that, injera is naturally gluten-free. Injera is basically heaven for foodies around the world, including those with allergies!
Teff, the flour used to make injera, is made from the smallest grain in the world. That being said, only a small amount of teff seeds are needed to sow an entire field! This bread is healthy and good for the planet! While sowing food for us to eat, we also save the planet by using less land. The seed also can sprout in just thirty-six hours and yield almost a ton of grain in about twelve weeks! This grain can also grow about everywhere, from the mountains to arid conditions to land at sea level. So, the grain isn’t picky and allows us to use a small amount of land and make a large amount of grain. This grain is in turn used to make the flour to make injera, but it doesn’t stop there. Teff can be used to make cookies, pancakes, other types of bread. This flour is just simply amazing!
Now that you know all about injera, this amazing superfood and all of its benefits, go out and try it! I hope you fall in love with it as much as I have, and if you want, go ahead and give it a try at home. Yes, I said it, try making it at home if you have the time and chance! This is truly an amazing bread that benefits not only the human body, but the Earth itself.
