“I believe fonio could and should be the grain of the future since it has been the consistent grain of our West African past.”

Fonio is almost always cooking at Mawa’s Kitchen in Aspen, Colorado. The tiny ancient grain with a mild nutty flavor is a staple on the menu of the MICHELIN recommended restaurant. Yet, the ingredient wasn’t always a favorite of Mawa’s Kitchen owner and executive chef Mawa McQueen.

“I used to despise fonio as a child, probably because it was always served to me, and like any kid, I disliked being told what to eat and what to do,” says McQueen. McQueen grew up in the Côte d’Ivoire where the tiny grain has been a staple in West African dishes for thousands of years. In fact, while fonio is relatively new to the United States, it’s the oldest cultivated grain in Africa. McQueen, along with a handful of other chefs and producers, hope it will catch on with Americans.

“I absolutely believe fonio could be and should be the grain of the future since it has been the consistent grain of our West African past,” says McQueen. “It’s non-GMO, easy to cook, does not negatively impact the environment, it’s full of vitamins and nutrients and is easy to consume and digest by the majority of the population, regardless of dietary restrictions.”

Why You Should Give Fonio a Chance

The ancient grain, similar to couscous and quinoa, is incredibly versatile. At Mawa’s Kitchen, it appears on the breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner menus as fonio pancakes or fonio with arugula salad.

“Since fonio is naturally gluten-free and packed with so many nutrients, I often use it in place of rice or couscous. Think fonio tabbouleh, or fonio for couscous in my Colorado Lamb Tagine,” says McQueen. “One of my favorites is Jollof Fonio. The fonio soaks up the flavors just as well as rice and gives the dish an overall lighter feel.”

As it’s gluten-free, potentially, fonio has a wide audience. The grain boasts high amounts of fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, B vitamins, protein, and amino acids. On the glycemic index, it ranks lower than sorghum, white rice, and millet.

“In the world of food and beverage manufacturing, fonio can be used to make snacks, desserts, nutrition bars, cereal, even beer,” says Philip Teverow, the co-founder and CEO of Yolélé Foods, which started selling fonio in the U.S. in 2017. “When we started, no one in the U.S. besides immigrants from West Africa had heard of fonio. Today, fonio is served in restaurants, used to make snacks and beer, and sold in nearly 2,000 stores across the country,” he says.

Yolélé Foods sources fonio from small farmers, and part of the company’s mission is to not only bring fonio to the U.S. but also increase West African farmer incomes while promoting climate-smart agriculture.

Fonio is considered a climate-resilient crop because of its relative ease to grow. It requires few inputs, and can survive in tough conditions that many other plants would wilt in. It has thrived for millennia in the arid Sahel region of West Africa, tolerates drought and heat, and doesn’t require expensive or harmful chemicals and fertilizers. Fonio also reaches its harvesting age in about four months and could be grown in other geographies.

“We work with farmers in West Africa — mainly women growing fonio for their families. We offer them the opportunity to earn income by growing more than usual at pre-agreed prices. And we help them increase their yield, and thus their income, by providing them with ag-extension services and tools and implements to improve productivity and lighten the workload,” Teverow says.

The Challenges to Scaling Fonio

Fonio does face several production challenges. The grain’s tiny size means it hasn’t benefited from grain processing technology, which transforms it into food efficiently. Fonio has to be harvested by hand with a sickle, making it an unattractive crop for commercial farmers who rely on mechanization.

“If you’re a fonio farmer, it takes a lot of work to turn your harvest into food,” says Teverow.“The process today is very slow, arduous, inefficient, and ineffective.”

With support from the World Bank and the Gates Foundation, the company is working to introduce an efficient and effective fonio processing facility. This way, fonio could become a viable ingredient for usage locally, for export markets, and for generating employment opportunities for West African farmers while continuing to create fonio products for a U.S. audience. In addition to the plan for fonio, the company’s biggest seller, they also have fonio snacks such as chips and beer launching from brands including Brooklyn Brewery, Guinness, and Russian River.

How to Cook Fonio at Home

Available at major retailers like Walmart and Amazon, it’s becoming easier to find fonio in stores and online. Yolélé Foods also has an online directory of stores they sell to, which is searchable by zip code, and they can also ship. At home, fonio can easily be swapped in recipes that call for rice, quinoa, oatmeal, or couscous. Its mild flavor means it works with a number of sauces and liquids as it will soak up the flavor.

Basic Cooked Fonio Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup fonio
• 2 cups water (or broth for extra flavor)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter (optional)

Instructions

1. Rinse the Fonio (Optional):
   • Place the fonio in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it under cold water for a few seconds. This step helps remove any impurities.
2. Boil the Liquid:
   • Bring 2 cups of water (or broth) to a boil in a medium saucepan.
   • Add the salt and olive oil or butter, if using.
3. Add Fonio:
   • Stir the fonio into the boiling water.
   • Reduce the heat to low immediately after adding the fonio.
4. Cover and Cook:
   • Cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
   • Let the fonio simmer on low heat for 1-2 minutes.
   • Turn off the heat and let it steam, covered, for an additional 5 minutes. The fonio will absorb all the liquid and fluff up.
5. Fluff and Serve:
   • Use a fork to fluff the fonio gently.
   • Serve hot as a side dish, or use it as a base for salads, stir-fries, or bowls.