teff

[ tef ]

noun

1. a grass, Eragrostis tef, native to the Horn of Africa, where it is cultivated for its edible seeds.
2. the edible seeds of the grass Eragrostis tef.
3. Sometimes teff flour. a flour made from the edible seeds of the grass Eragrostis tef, used especially in the cuisine of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Word History and Origins

Origin of teff¹

First recorded in 1780–90; from Amharic t’ef; compare Geez t’ah’əf, t’ayəf

Example Sentences

At an elevation of about 2500 meters on Ethiopia’s Amhara plain, villagers conduct an ancient ritual—harvesting delicate stalks of teff by hand.

From Science Magazine

The changes also expand access to whole grains like quinoa, wild rice and millet and to foods such as teff and whole wheat naan.

From Seattle Times

The researchers used five flours that included gluten: unbleached all-purpose flour, red turkey wheat, emmer, rye and einkorn; and five gluten-free flours: teff, millet, sorghum, buckwheat and amaranth.

From Science Daily

They were living in New York and had access to plenty of health food stores, farmers markets and ethnic stores where she easily could source things such as millet and sorghum flours, arrowroot and teff.

From Seattle Times

Whole grains like teff, quinoa and wheat are great sources of protein.

From Salon