Tam Alemu sells 25-pound bags of teff at his Williams Street Market
{Photo by Cheryl Juetten}
I've been pleased to see the re-emergence of local grain economies across the United States, including here in Oregon. Farmers are growing grains—like Red Fife, spelt, and kamut—that haven't been grown here for a long, long time, and they can't seem to produce enough for local bakers, who are creating magnificent loaves that sell out quickly. As I was doing some digging for another story, I stumbled upon this: farmer Tom Hunton at Camas Country Mill is growing teff—and lots of it. It turns out the Ethiopian diaspora in this country has more than doubled over the past 12 years, and they're snapping up all the U.S.-grown teff they can buy.
In the November issue of Portland Monthly, I write about Ethiopian-American business owner Tamrat Alemu, who sells Camas Country Mill teff at his market in North Portland. He also uses it to make fresh injera, the spongey flatbread that Ethiopians use in place of silverware to scoop up delicacies such as doro wot (chicken stew) and shiro wet (a spicy hommous). Here's a PDF of my article: Download PoMo teff
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