Value of Finger Millet in Everyday Life: How Cereals Are Utilized in the West Gojjam Zone, Northwestern Ethiopia

The staple food of the Amhara people living in northern Ethiopia is generally described as lactic acid fermented flatbread (injera) made from teff (ṭef-Eragrostis tef). They eat injera every day; however, not all people consume teff all the time. The Amhara farmers described in this paper rely on finger millet (dagusa-Eleusine coracana) for their livelihoods. This study examined the value of staple cereals by demonstrating how people utilize them in their everyday lives. For them, the best ingredient for injera was teff, but this did not simply mean that finger millet was less valuable. Regarding alcoholic beverages as essential to village life, people considered finger millet the best starch source. The two types of local bread made from finger millet had different roles to that of injera. People's values for each bread type were derived not only from its physical aspects, but also from the context in which it was served. When considering the value of cereal-based foods important to a group of people, both aspects of the cereal must be considered: as an ingredient of specific food items that can be made from a variety of cereals, and as a main ingredient used for various foods.