Cereals and their nutritive value
Cereals are the grains of grasses: maize, rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, barley and oats. They are the staple food of most people, giving carbohydrate (starch, about 70%), some protein (7–12%), B vitamins, minerals and fibre, but little fat. The grain has an outer bran, a starchy endosperm and a germ.
| Cereal | Main products | Dishes |
|---|---|---|
| Maize | Whole grain, flour, grits, starch, oil | Ugali, uji, githeri, popcorn |
| Rice | Polished rice, brown rice, flour | Pilau, biryani, boiled rice |
| Wheat | Flour, bread, pasta | Chapati, mandazi, bread, cakes |
| Sorghum and millet | Flour, grain | Ugali, uji, local brews |
| Oats | Rolled oats | Porridge |
Whole grain keeps the bran and the germ, so it has more fibre and vitamins than refined (white) products. Cereals lack the amino acid lysine; eaten with beans or milk they give a good protein.
Preparing cereal dishes
When starch is heated in water it swells and thickens (gelatinisation), as in ugali and porridge. To cook rice, rinse it, use about 2 parts of water to 1 part of rice by volume, bring it to the boil, then simmer with the lid on until the water is absorbed. Rice swells to about three times its volume. Chapati dough is made from flour, water, salt and oil, kneaded, rested, rolled and fried.
Choose the amount of dry rice and the water ratio.
Key terms
- Cereal
- The grain of a grass used as food.
- Bran
- The outer layer of a grain.
- Gelatinisation
- Swelling and thickening of starch in hot water.
- Staple food
- The main energy food of a people.
Summary
- Cereals are rich in starch and are the staple food of most people.
- Whole grains have more fibre and vitamins than refined ones.
- Starch thickens when cooked in water.
- Cook rice with about two parts water to one part rice.