Millet - millet (English spelling)

Japanese: キビ - きび（英語表記）millet

An annual plant of the grass family (APG classification: Poaceae). The culm is hollow and 0.7-1.7 meters tall. Two or three tillers grow from the base of the plant. As the plant grows, 10-20 leaves appear, but the leaves at the top of the stem are larger, with leaf blades 30 cm long and 2 cm wide. From summer to autumn, the plant produces a flower spike consisting of many spikelets at the top of the stem. Each spikelet consists of two florets, and the upper florets bear fruit, but the lower ones are sterile. The fruits are slightly flattened, spherical, about 2 mm long, white or yellow, and 1,000 seeds weigh about 4 grams. Flower spikes that are long and branched and hang down when ripe are called flat-spike type, those with slightly short branches that hang to one side when ripe are called one-spike type, and those with short branches that do not hang down when ripe are called dense-spike type.

It is believed to have originated in the temperate regions of central and eastern Asia. It was introduced to Europe during the Mesolithic period (8000-4000 BC). It has been cultivated in China since prehistoric times, and is thought to have been introduced to Japan from northern China via Korea, but it is thought to have been introduced later than rice, wheat, millet, and barnyard millet. Its ancient name was "kimi," derived from the yellowish color of its fruit. It is highly nutritious, counted as one of the five grains, and was considered an important food in ancient times. There are several hundred varieties known around the world, and it is cultivated in Asia and Africa for food, brewing ingredients, and feed. It is divided into mochi (glutinous) and non-glutinous (non-glutinous), but there are many intermediate varieties. In Japan, there are varieties such as wase mochi, wase kuro mochi, Shinano No. 1, and yellow mochi, but it is hardly cultivated today.

[Hoshikawa Kiyochika August 20, 2019]

Food

100 grams of millet contains 363 kcal, 13.8 grams of water, 11.3 grams of protein, 3.3 grams of fat, and 70.9 grams of carbohydrates. Its nutritional value is comparable to that of rice or wheat, and it is highly digestible. In China, Africa, and other areas where millet is grown, it is generally cooked with rice as a staple food, or ground into flour to make dumplings or mochi. It is used as an ingredient in sweets such as candy, and mixed with wheat flour to make bread. It is also used as an ingredient in brewing, and in northern China, yellow wine (huangjiu) has been brewed since ancient times. The stems, leaves, and bran are used as livestock feed, but in Europe and the United States, the fruit is also used as feed. In America, it is used as pig feed, so it is called hog millet.

[Hoshikawa Kiyochika August 20, 2019]

[Reference] | Huang Qiu

Millet
The culm is hollow and grows to a height of 0.7-1.7m. The ear branches and produces a flower spike consisting of many spikelets at the top of the stem from summer to autumn. ©Shogakukan ">

Millet

Millet seeds
©Shogakukan ">

Millet seeds

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

イネ科（APG分類：イネ科）の一年草。稈(かん)は中空、高さ0.7～1.7メートル。根際から2、3本の分げつを出す。生育につれ10～20枚の葉が出るが、茎の上部の葉は大きく、葉身は長さ30センチメートル、幅2センチメートル。夏から秋、茎頂に多くの小穂からなる花穂をつける。小穂は2小花からなり、上位の小花は結実するが、下位のものは不稔(ふねん)性である。果実は長さ2ミリメートルほどのやや扁平(へんぺい)な球形で白または黄色、1000粒の重さは4グラム前後である。花穂が長く枝分れし、実ると垂れるものを平穂型、枝がやや短く、実ると片側に寄って垂れるものを片穂型、枝が短く、実っても垂れないものを密穂型とよぶ。

　原産地はアジア中央部から東部にかけての温帯地域と推定されている。中石器時代（前8000～前4000）にはヨーロッパに伝わっていた。中国では有史以前から栽培され、中国北部から朝鮮を経て日本に渡来したらしいが、米、麦、粟(あわ)、稗(ひえ)よりも渡来は遅いらしい。古名はキミで、果実が黄色みを帯びるところからきている。栄養価が高く、五穀の一つに数えられ、古くは重要な食糧とされていた。世界に数百の品種が知られ、アジアやアフリカでは食用や醸造原料、飼料とするため多く栽培される。糯(もち)と粳(うるち)とに区別されるが、中間的なものが多い。日本では、早生(わせ)糯、早生黒糯、信濃(しなの)1号、黄糯などの品種があるが、現在はほとんど栽培されていない。

［星川清親　2019年8月20日］

食品

精白したキビ100グラムの熱量は363キロカロリーで、水分13.8グラム、タンパク質11.3グラム、脂質3.3グラム、炭水化物70.9グラムを含む。栄養価は米や麦に劣らず、消化率も高い。中国やアフリカそのほかキビの生産のある地域では、一般には米と混炊して主食としたり、粉にして団子や餅(もち)とする。飴(あめ)などの菓子原料とするほか、小麦粉と混ぜてパンにする。醸造原料にもされ、中国北部では古くから黄酒（ホワンチウ）を醸造した。茎葉や糠(ぬか)は家畜の飼料とされるが欧米では果実も飼料とする。アメリカではブタの飼料とするのでhog milletの名がある。

［星川清親　2019年8月20日］

[参照項目] | ホワンチウ

キビ

キビの子実

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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