Terrific teff

I am strung out of fit-fit...it's so yummy and filling.  Monday, I took a stab at making kitcha - I only had unbleached flour so I made just a little...I was too tickled with myself when I put the dough in the pan...it came out ok and my husband remarked that it was addictive.  That's when I knew I couldn't make it again until I got some whole wheat flour. 

As I was about to check out at Wegman's Wednesday night, I remembered the flour.  I rushed over to the natural foods section and came across a gluten free aisle.  I quickly scanned the packages, and that's when I saw it - teff! I was very excited.  Then I felt a small ping of biopiracy guilt.  I had seen 25 pound bags of Idaho grown teff for sale in my local Ethiopian store.  I was troubled, so I looked into it a bit - there are regional physical geographic similarities, Ethiopians provided the technique, and now the companies supplies East African communities with the product.  This would be an interesting political ecological study.  Why couldn't a group of East Africans found their own teff company?  Africa continues to be plundered of agricultural know-how while their landscape is degraded as they shift from traditional to industrial agriculture.  So it was with mixed emotion that I paid $6.99 for 24 ounces of Bob's Red Mill teff. 

Thursday, I rushed the flour to my friend's house so that Abay could make fit-fit.  Her eyes lit up when she saw the bag.  She said "that is from my country." And apparently it's the same diabetic friendly grain she's been trying to describe to her daughter.  Lo and behold, teff is the smallest grain in the world; loaded with fiber, protein, and iron; and low in carbohydrate - a nutritional powerhouse. 

Abay wasn't happy about the price, she heard about a man who brought seeds from her land and planted them in North America, but, of course, she insists that the grain from her country would be better, and cheaper (including transportation) - she's a diehard adherer to terroir.

She made the fit-fit - the texture was more spongy (of course) and the taste more earthy; the gluten from the wheat provides a hint of sweetness but teff is clearly a healthier option.  I think next time we'll mix in a bit of barley.