ABSTRACT
Millets have remained a staple food in many Asian and African countries since ancient times. They were also cultivated and consumed in many parts of Russia and Eurasia before the popularity of rice and wheat. A variety of millet-based fermented and non-fermented products are prepared and consumed in these regions and are equally popular in Asia and Africa. Fermented foods can be further classified into alcoholic and non-alcoholic products. The major non-alcoholic fermented food preparations are ben-saagla, bushera, fura, ibyer, injera, koko, koozh, mangisi, ogi, oshikundu, rabadi, togwa, uji, zoom-koom, etc. In addition to these, millets can also be used as a substitute for the main substrate (grain or legume) in the preparation of several Indian fermented products like dhokla, dosa, idli, paddu, and uthapam, etc. The common millet-based alcoholic beverages are boza, burukutu, jaandh, kodo ko jannr, Merissa, okatokele, omalodu, pito, sur, xia mi jiao, etc. Millets can also be used as a substitute for sorghum in many sorghum-based beers like dolo and togo. The major millet-based non-fermented foods are dambu of Nigeria; halwa, kheer, laddu, pongal, and roti of India; kurrakan kanda of Sri Lanka; and masavusu of Zimbabwe, etc.
