Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],

Everybody loves a comeback. 

Age-old, dying, out of sight… and then, suddenly, not. That’s millets right now—the hero of the superfood story of the year. At least when it comes to media; I’ll get to what’s happening at the dining table in a little bit. 

This year has been declared the International Year of Millets by the United Nations General Assembly. An almost forgotten staple of Indian cuisine, but now, something you may find at a farm-to-fork restaurant, or maybe a beer from your local microbrewery, or maybe on some recipe from a new-age blog. I admit, all three have happened to me this year. 

It’s no coincidence. This year is supposed to be about awareness after all. 

A quick Google search will show you that in India, we’ve had at least one event every week celebrating millets since the year began. The army has included them in its rations, state governments are promoting them to farmers, and companies are launching packaged millet-based foods. I’m sure everyone involved in these projects will tell you why millets should be the next big thing in food. And why India needs to lead the charge, considering its history with the food crop and how it is even now the largest millet producer in the world. 

It was India, in fact, that moved the UNGA resolution to declare 2023 the year of millets. 

The question is, how do you create the next big food trend? Can you even? Because at the end of the day, such matters are decided at the dining table. What do the consumers want, and how much do they care? 

Let’s dive in.

Old friend, forgotten

Millets and humans go back at least 5,000 years ago, being among the first crops humans cultivated. They were and are found across Asia and Africa, with evidence that they were consumed by people from the Indus Valley Civilisation and as part of the traditional cuisine of various cultures. 

Farmers in water-deficient areas loved the hardy crops, which take far less water to grow than, say, rice or wheat. And they are very nutritious, containing 7-12% protein, 2-5% fat, 65-75% carbs, and 15-20% dietary fibre. These stats are all comparable to wheat and rice. 

And yet:

The green revolution marked a radical shift in diets. Here’s BBC chronicling the fading away of millets from Indian meals.