Eleusine coracana

Finger millet

Family Gramineae (or Poaceae)

Eleusine coracana, finger millet (E. coracana 1), is a short-stemmed millet, growing to about the same height as wheat and barley. The terminal digitate inflorescence of 4-6 dense sessile spikes is characteristic, hence the name finger millet (E. coracana 2).

Distribution
Finger millet is of ancient cultivation in East Africa (E. coracana 3) and plays an important role in social and religious ceremonies. It must have been in India at a very early date as well, but it does not appear to have been in cultivation in ancient Egypt. Probably it reached Europe about 2000 years ago. It has been taken to many parts of the tropics in later days, but outside Africa and India it never achieved any importance. In Africa finger millet is known as wimbi (Swahili), bulo (Uganda) and telebun (Sudan); in India it is known as koracan and ragi.

Use
The grain (E. coracana 4) is ground into a flour and made into a porridge. Beer is made from germinated grain that is dried, ground, mixed with water and fermented by adding yeast dissolved in some old beer. The great merit of finger millet is the fact that it suffers little from bird damage and can be stored for a long period without deterioration.