What is Fonio? | What is Hungry rice?



Fonio (scientific name: Digitaria exilis and Digitaria iburua) {pronounced as "phone-yea"} is the smallest grain in the millet family, and perhaps, the rarest and oldest natural grain cultivated and grown by human in Africa.

Hungry rice is the European common name for fonio; a misleading term by Europeans who knew little of the crop or the lives of those who used it.

Unbeknownst to Europeans, the Africans were harvesting fonio not because they were hungry, but because they liked the taste.

Indeed, the local Africans deemed the grain exotic, and so, in few locations they retained it particularly for chiefs, royalty, and so, special occasions. Acha is also formed part of the established bride price.

Acha fonio has been around for over five thousand years, and is rich in fibres, high in protein, minerals, amino-acids, gluten-free and many other nutrients. Fonio is a super food serve to special guests to honour them.

Fonio grain

Fonio has a lacy appearance. It is often less than knee high. For a crop that is thus very low understood to science, fonio is exceptionally widely grown. It is employed throughout a huge sweep of West Africa, that come from the Atlantic coast well-nigh to the boundary with Central Africa.

"The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs but rather treat diseases with nutritions and foods as medicine"

Another name for fonio

Bambara: fini
Benin: podgi
Burkina Faso: foni
English: hungry rice, hungry millet, hungry koos, fonio, fundi millet
French: fonio, petit mil (a name also used for other crops)
Fulani: sereme, foinye, fonyo, fundenyo
Gambia: findo (Mandinka)
Guinea: pende, kpendo, founie, pounie
Ivory Coast: pom, pohin
Mali: fani, feni, founde
Nigeria: acha (Digitaria exilis, Hausa); iburu (Digitaria iburua, Hausa); aburo
Senegal: eboniaye, efoleb, findi, fundi
Togo: (Digitaria iburua); afio-warun (Lamba); ipoga (Somba, Sampkarba); fonio ga (black fonio); ova (Akposso)

How to Cook Fonio? | How to Cook Acha? | How to Prepare Acha?

What is Acha in English? Acha in english is called Fonio or Hungry rice. Like most cereal grains, fonio should be rinse before cooking to wash away the husk outer part of the grain called shaft.

When you purchase a husks fonio most of the shaft has already been removed through the milling process, but you still wants to rinse your fonio to remove any remaining particles.

Step 1: Measure any desire fonio into a bowl.

Step 2: Add a glass to cover the fonio by several inches. Wait to see the grain settle to see the husky or shaft particles floating on top of the water.

Step 3: These can simply be pour off. You can rensing it a second time if you want. Swanley the water a bits. If your fonio recipes called for the fonio been drain, be sure to use a fine-mesh sieve or strainer. Pour out the water.

Fonio grain

What is gluten?

Gluten is a starch. Starch is carbonic acid. Any grain that is made such as corn, wheat, rice, etc., these things are starch. Starch is not food. Starch is a chemical.

Gluten will clogged and rust in the systems down. Gluten will rob you of iron and deliver Sulphide (or Sulfide) in your body, and sulphide is what causes cancer in your body. This is the main reason you should eat a gluten-free foods

Nutritional value of hungry rice?

Do you know that there are two types of food upon the face of earth?

1. Foods that are Alkaline Based and;
2. Foods that are Acidity Based.

Foods that are alkaline based come with creation, from the universe and are made by God. And foods that are acidity based are made by man-kind in the laboratory.

Acidity based foods are starchy foods and are gluten.

Acidity Based
Acidity food is made from either combinations of Arsenide, Cyanide, Antimony and Mercury.

Alkaline Based
While Alkaline based foods are starch-less, gluten-free and is natural.

Foods that are alkaline in nature have structure Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen combine together as one. Alkaline food are made from either combinations of Phosphates, Carbonates, Iodides and Bromides.

Nutrition

For example, Iron is one of our most important organic minerals and compound nutrient. Iron nourishes the blood and the cells and is a major component of the immune system.

Inorganic Iron such as Ferrous Oxide cannot be assimilated (a commonly used form of Iron that comes directly from a mineral, again an inorganic substance).

Acha Food | Acha Health

The Iron introduce to you via natural foods such as acha is consistent with Life. It is Iron Phosphate NOT Ferrous Oxide. While both contain Iron, the Iron Phosphate is found in the plant (or acha plant food) and natural plants kingdom and in YOU as a human beings.

It is contained only in living structures, and is therefore ORGANIC. Organic means that Iron is in combination with Carbon(C), Hydrogen(H), and Oxygen(O). This is the chemistry of Life.

Having this type of chemistry C, H, O (Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen) enables Iron Phosphate to assimilate well in the body.

Hippocrates - Father of modern medicine said... "Food should be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

What is the medicine of the ancient past? Hippocrates probably learn his craft from the Ancient Africans. It is fair to say during the Hippocrates time, there are no acidity foods. This is because it does not exist!

African Grains is not
West African Rice Company

Africa has quietly nurtured and supported the world's sciences for centuries. Now, she demands that we her children, return home to our place of genesis; the path to good health and full life.

This website http://www.fonioacha.com (or fonioacha.com) commitment is to reconnect people of African ancestry with African cultural traditions of using natural foods such as African fonio and vegetation cell food (a.k.a. electric cell food) as a way of understanding basic healing principles of natural reversal and elimination of disease.

While the manifestation of disease can be caused by mechanical means (i.e. mental and/or emotional stress, poor eating habits and nutrition, repressed emotions and/or sleep deprivation as well as extrinsic poisons) the damage is to a natural biological structure.

This indicates that the approach has to focus on the natural biological structure; and, the approach to reversing and eliminating severe nutritional deficiency and mineral imbalance, requires a "wholistic" treatment process that addresses an individual’s genetic, biochemical and electrical structure.


"A society that keeps cures a secret so they can continue to sell medication for huge profits is not a real society but a huge mental asylum"    - Dr. Sebi The Great - 

Ancient African Foods

Question: What are the foods of an African eaten by their ancestors over 5,000 years ago? Answer: Super foods such as Foni grain (or Hungry Rice Grain or Acha or Fini or Findi or Iburu), Teff grain (or Ethiopia teff) or Quinoa grain.

They also eat sesame seeds or hemp seeds. All this foods are alkaline and fonio is an organically grown grain!

Where is fonio grown?

Acha fonio grows mainly at countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

Fonio grows very fast, germinating within a week after planting and be ready for harvest in as little as four months after germination. It is said to do well in all types of soli even though other cereals will not survive. There are three varieties of fonio:-

  • Black fonio (Digitaria iburua) – grows mainly in Benin, Jos-Bauchi Plateau of Nigeria, Ghana, Fouta Djallon Plateau of Guinea, Mali, Senegal and northern regions of Togo.
  • Ryerson fonio - grows mainly in India
  • White fonio (Digitaria exilis) – It can be found in farmers fields in Benin, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, central Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.
All the above types of Fonio can be used to make bread to be cook as rice cooked in stew made in salads, soups along with a variety of other dishes.

Also, fonio can be used to make porridge or fonio cake, floor, bon appetit, fonio au micro onde and paddy.

Foods and Body Minerals
(Recommended dosage & Uses)

Food such as fonio acha grain can boost your mood and energize your body with its minerals. Dr. Sebi told us that "We receive life in the alkaline world."

It’s not surprisingly that the essential food we eat and ingest minerals should be alkaline in nature, and should be responsible for giving life to plants, nourish our own cells and energizing our body.

Typically a human body parts requires a few forms of the minerals: Major and Trace.

  Major Minerals  Trace Minerals
Calcium Boron
Magnesium Chromium
Phosphorus Copper
Potassium Fluoride
Silicon Iodine
Sodium Iron
Sulphur Lithium
Manganese
Molybdenum
Selenium
Vanadium
Zinc

The minerals function as pieces of the body parts enzymes. At a minimum eighteen minerals certainly are vital for maintaining healthy blood, bones and also organs.

Major minerals certainly are nearly all abundant in the body parts and also certainly are necessary for the majority of body parts functions and also organ health.

Trace minerals certainly are similarly horribly vital for a human health. Because they're found in soil, foods and also our bodies in smaller amounts, they're significantly more very easily depleted.

When mineral deficiencies occur, vital functionality in the body parts won't work as expected or unique substances our bodies needs won't be produced.

For example, iodine should be necessary for the recommended function of the the thyroid gland, iron should be necessary for healthy red blood cells, and also people must adequate volumes of the zinc for recommended immune function.

Do you know which essential mineral might be missing from your diet? Answer: Magnesium

What is Magnesium?
Magnesium might be the best normally deficient mineral in a human nutrition. It is the calming and/or "anti-stress" mineral, consequently significantly critical and large amounts of human functions.

Found mostly in plant foods/meals: grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts and seeds, magnesium should be same at the plant’s chlorophyll molecule as to iron in a human hemoglobin.

What are the benefits?
Magnesium is for the most part within the cells and its duty is to relax muscles and the heart, and also enzyme start up for most metabolic functions, to include protein synthesis, activity/energy production, and also nerve conduction.

Magnesium vitamins/supplementation can possibly assist through substandard sleep, anxiety, menstrual and also muscle cramps or it could spasms, boisterous/high blood pressure, asthma attacks, and also irregular heartbeats.

What are the long term effects and precautions?
Because nonessential magnesium should be very easily eliminated, toxicity should be nearly unknown. Deficiency should be certainly common as well as might develop into muscle cramps, calcification problems, fatigue, irritability, as well as insomnia.

What is the recommended dosage?
Magnesium ought to be supplemented as well as calcium at a minimum of a 2 to 1 ratio of the calcium to magnesium. Its needed daily intake for older people is 350 mg, and also for treating deficiencies, a dosage of 600-700 mg could possibly be needed.

Fonio Benefits

Fonio have high fibre content and is low in carbohydrates. The carbohydrate in fonio is easy to digest, and the fibre allows the foods to move easily through the digestive systems.

Fonio is said to contains a good amount of Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Sulphur (S), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Sodium (Na) and Zinc (Zn).

Not just rich in iron, zinc and magnesium, fonio can be used in place of couscous or rice or even used to make beer.

In gross nutritional composition, fonio differs little from wheat. In one white fonio sample, the husked grain contained 8 per cent protein and so, one percent fat. In a sample of black fonio, a protein posts of 11.8 percent has recorded.

The distinction lies at the amino acids this contains. At the white fonio analysis, for example, the protein contained 7.3 percent methionine plus cystine.

The amino acid profile compared to that of whole-egg protein showed that aside from the inferior score of 46 per cent for lysine, the various other scores had been high:

 •72 for isoleucine;
 •90-100 for valine,
 •tryptophan,
 •threonine, and so,
 •phenylalanine;
 •127 for leucine;
 •175 for count sulfur; and so,
 •189 per cent for methionine.

This final figure indicates that fonio protein contains well-nigh two times since much methionine since egg protein contains. Thus, fonio has important good chance not only since survival food, yet since a complement for regular diets.

No problem just how all of us cook it, fonio currently offers specific nutritional good things over additional grains.

Fonio is prized all over for the effortless digestibility and does not make human pancreas duct work hard in producing insulin and low glycemic index.

FONIO GRAIN NUTRITION BENEFITS
Main Components Value Essential Amino Acids Value
Moisture 10 Cystine 2.5
Food energy (Kc) 367 Isoleucine 4.0
Protein (g) 9.0 Leucine 10.5
Carbohydrate (g) 75 Lysine 2.5
Fat (g) 1.8 Methionine 4.5
Fiber (g) 1.8 Phenylalanine 5.7
Ash (g) 3.4 Threonine 3.7
Thiamin (mg) 0.47 Tryptophan 1.6
Riboflavin (mg) 0.10 Tyrosine 3.5
Niacin (mg) 1.9 Valine 5.5
Calcium (mg) 44
Iron (mg) 8.5
Phosphorus (mg) 177

Cereal scientist should analyze the grains to understand what kinds of proteins are present. What are generally the amino-acid profiles of the different proteins?

Nutritionists should evaluate the biological effectiveness of fonio grains and the products made from them. There are probably more pleasant surprises waiting to be found.

For instance, protein fractionation is likely to turn up fractions with methionine and cystine levels already in the high average.

The Acha fonio has an excellent complement to legumes with an exceptional content of sulfur amino acids (methionine plus cystine).

Currently, fonio is not as popular as quinoa in the Western world, but all that is set to change. It is not readily available in healthy food stores. But you may find it in some. You may find it on some suppliers like Amazon, eBay or other places.

The tiny-grained fonio cereal or hungry rice cereal is making a come-back thanks to a new threshing machine called - the Fonio Husking Machine, invented by Professor Sanoussi Diakite of Senegal in West Africa.

For the millions of people in the African continent who are facing food insecurity and malnutrition, acha fonio cereal - grown in over 16 African countries from Cape Verde to Chad, is one of the best solutions to improving health, nutrition, protein and energy across the world.

Fonio (Acha), popularly known as Acha (in Nigeria West Africa) or Hungry rice (in Europe) is one of the oldest African cereals cultivated all around West Africa. It has a rich taste that makes it, best pap fonio/acha for breakfast and a must have in every home.

Fonio or 'hunger rice' grows in very dry conditions but its tiny seed makes threshing and grinding hard work. A new machine called "fonio husking" invented by Sanoussi Diakite in Senegal have put the traditional cereal with its many health-giving properties back on Sub-Saharan menus.

Fonio, a grain famous in West Africa, is often referred to as "Africa’s tastiest cereal". Rich in fibre, fonio is healthy as well as delicious.

This ancient African grain is known for its nutty, delicate taste which the Bambara people of Mali West Africa say "never embarrasses the cook" because it's so easy to prepare.

But for centuries (up to 5,000 years ago), fonio has had a major drawback — hours of pounding and winnowing fonio husks or better still, up to two hours of manual pounding and winnowing is needed to remove the husks from two kilos of grain before it can be cooked and served.

Fonio is extremely prized food, but people are more and more reluctant to prepare it. As a result a machine is needed to remove the husks from the grain and Sanoussi Diakite invented the machine.

THE FONIO HUSKER MACHINE IN SENEGAL

The Fonio Husking machine invented in 1996 weighs 50 kg by Sanoussi Diakite, an engineer and teacher. The Fonio Husking machine has transformed people's attitudes to fonio grain super food, protein and energy for people in every corner of the world.

The husking device costs between US$1,320 and $2,200, depending on the type, automatic or manual, which makes it too expensive for individual households.

However, the governments across Sub-Saharan West Africa have begun buying it to make it accessible to as many people as possible.

Over 200+ of husk-removal machines have been distributed in more than ten countries. Fonio is no longer ignored by the West African media, and there has been a renewal of interest in this grain all over the world now, with many farmers doubling the average terrain they allocate for growing it.

The super foods fonio grains can now be order at the biggest retailer online - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk online supermarket and to be prepared for breakfast or lunch or dinner at anytime.

Fonio Harvesting and Handling Machine

Normlly, fonio grain should be handled in traditional or established ways. The plants certainly are usually cut out through a knife or alternatively sickle, tied into sheaves, dried, and so, stored within cover.

Good production certainly are typically 600-800 kg per hectare, however in excess of 1,000 kg per hectare has been recorded.

In marginal areas, production might drop to be able to below 500 kg and so, going on terribly unnourishing soils could possibly be simply 150-200 kg per hectare.

Traditionally, the grain should be threshed use beating or trampling, and so, it is dehulled inside a mortar. It is difficult and so, time-consuming.

The Acha Fonio Harvesting machine can process 5 kg of fonio grain in 5 to 8 minutes which normally take a day by manual processing.

The Fonio Grain Husking Machine can effectively husks and cleans the fonio grains as they pass through the shifting and flexible paddle which is set on a vertical axis and on top of a fixed plate.

The separation of fonio acha grain and husk is done simultaneously by an incorporated system of ventilation. This process requires just 1.5 kilowatts for power increasing yields by more than 65 percent.

This innovation provides the opportunity to promote fonio flour as a nutritious and healthier food across the whole world not just African continent.

The Fonio hungry rice thrives in latitudes between 8-14 degrees north of the Earth Equator. Fonio grain is easily cultivated in dry savannah regions, mountainous and hilly mountain areas, in nutrient-poor soil, and without the need for land fertilizers or soil pesticides.

Evolving Ancient African Grain!

Evolving ancient African grain? When a child is born, we give him or her Africa tastiest cereal fonio. Also women who put to bed or have delivered are massaged with fonio acha.

You may wondered - What do I mean when I say the child is given fonio acha grain, is that on the day of the naming ceremony fonio acha is put into calabash or a bowl used to wash the child's head for shave.

Conversely, as such it is part and parcel of Ancient African tradition. Africans believe good foods in fonio gluten-free grains in their tradition. In many of their events, such as marriages, naming ceremonies, funeral ceremonies, acha fonio is included in the foods served to the guests.

Acha fonio is associated with almost everything that Africans do when it comes to food. Hungry rice (or fonio) has a valuable function in African ancient tradition as such; want the whole world to know its value and importance.

A few higher institutions in African continent carries out research in nutrition and food, often directed towards malnutrition of the mother and child. It’s primarily interested in local food, especially the metabolic effects of these foods, such as okra or fonio acha.

Hungry rice or fonio acha can grow in poor soil, with little water, thus it's something you can grow several times in the same year, and can adapt to various environments.

Fonio grows very fast and germinating within a week

Some African country has more concerns than other arid (of land or a climate having little or no rain; too dry or barren to support vegetation) countries, where water is an issue, such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and it is a cereal that can extend over a wide proportion of Sub-Saharan Africa and perhaps the rest of the world.

Acha fonio contains no gluten (i.e. gluten-free); some people are allergic to gluten found in wheat. Its nutritional qualities meet current needs in terms of malnutrition, for example, but also for future needs such as chronic disease, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.

As added advantage, fonio grain cultivation doesn't require any pesticide, which means organic production, and this is what people want to eat now, going forward into the future as alkaline food.

You can have fonio gluten-free for breakfast (e.g. pap fonio or used it as porridge), lunch (e.g. jollof fonio or rice and fonio) or dinner (e.g. fonio fufu eaten with various soup like vegetable soup, okra vegetable with stew, melon etc.). It is for all meals.

Acha fonio grain will certainly contribute to the world food supply, which depends on water, and water will become scarce. And small crops that need little water will have an important role in feeding the 9+ billion people that we will be one day.

We think fonio grain will be popular as it is gluten free and the fact it is drought-resistant makes it a good option for a future food with global warming.

Keep in mind: FONIOACHA.com & HUNGRYRICE.com is nutritional consultant’s website that makes suggestions relating to nutrition. None of the information offered here is intended to replace any program that your medical doctor has prescribed for you, nor does it conflict with any pharmaceutical medication you are taking.

Fonio Foods & Books | Where to buy fonio grain?

Where to buy fonio grain or books about acha fonio? Either way you've come to the right place.

Whether you live in Brooklyn or New York City (NYC) or Toronto Canada or Senegal and looking for yolele fonio, just hungry sushi rice, fonioacha.com website should be able to help.

Below are good fonio acha books or good place to buy fonio hungry rice acha that we recommended that you can purchase at Amazon.com or amazon.co.uk