Sorghum
What it is
Round, pale, BB-sized whole grains of a drought-tolerant cereal grass (also called jowar in India, durra in Africa). Naturally gluten-free. Also processed into syrup and used for popping.
How it's made
The whole grains are simmered (45–60 min, like wheat berries) for a chewy result, ground into flour for flatbreads, or popped like miniature popcorn. Sweet sorghum varieties are pressed and boiled down into sorghum syrup.
Flavor profile
Mild, nutty, slightly sweet, with a hearty, chewy bite when whole — comparable to wheat berries but gluten-free.
Culinary uses
A staple cereal across the semi-arid tropics. In India, jowar flour makes bhakri and rotla flatbreads; in much of Sub-Saharan and West Africa it's cooked into thick porridges (tô, ugali-type staples) and fermented into beverages and beer. Whole sorghum goes into grain salads and pilafs; sorghum syrup is a Southern US sweetener. It holds its shape well whole.
Regional variations
India: jowar flatbreads (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat). West/East Africa: porridges, tô, sorghum beer. American South: sorghum syrup, a heritage sweetener.
Cultural & historical context
Sorghum was domesticated in northeastern Africa and is one of the most important cereals of the African continent and the global dryland tropics, prized precisely because it thrives where wheat and maize fail. It traveled to the Americas via the African diaspora.
Reference notes
- Tags: grain, sorghum/jowar, gluten-free, drought-crop, Whole, Ground, Vegetarian, Vegan
- Related ingredients: jaggery, millet, sorghum syrup, vegetables (in porridges)
- Related cuisines: Indian, West African, East African, American South
- Suggested links: Cuisinopedia → Millet, Teff, Bhakri (dish), Jaggery