Huangmi (Millet Rice) from Fugu

Huangmi (Millet Rice) from Fugu

Huangmi from Fugu is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Fugu County is located at the northernmost tip of Shaanxi Province, at the junction of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia. The county covers a total land area of 3,200 square kilometers. It has a total population of 216,000, including 173,000 agricultural residents. The cultivated land area amounts to 650,000 mu, most of which is distributed in hilly and gully regions. The area features a mid-temperate, continental monsoon climate within a semi-arid zone. Its geographical coordinates are between 110°22′–111°14′ east longitude and 38°42′–39°35′ north latitude. The elevation ranges from 780 to 1,426.5 meters. The annual average temperature is 9.1°C, with an average annual sunshine duration of 2,890 hours, an average frost-free period of 177 days, and an average annual rainfall of 453 mm, mostly concentrated in July, August, and September.

　　Millet is one of the traditional crops cultivated in Fugu County, with an annual sowing area of around 120,000–150,000 mu, accounting for 23% of the county’s total grain-sown area of 530,000 mu. Among this, hard millet (non-glutinous) accounts for 80%, and soft millet (glutinous) makes up 20%. The average yield is about 150–200 kg per mu, with an annual total output of 18,000–20,000 tons, representing 40% of the county’s total grain output. The main types include red, yellow, white, and black millet, with primary varieties being “Yu Millet No. 2,” “Yu Millet No. 1,” and “Purple Cap Large Red Millet.” The region mainly promotes the “Non-polluting Standardized Millet Cultivation Technology,” which emphasizes broadcast sowing with a wooden drill, wide row spacing with narrow plant spacing, and key practices such as thinning, final singling, and intertillage.

　　After hulling, millet is called huangmi (millet rice), which is further divided into glutinous and non-glutinous types—sometimes referred to as “big millet” in certain areas. Millet is China’s second most traditionally cultivated grain crop after rice. It can be consumed in ways similar to rice, not only offering excellent color, aroma, and taste but also being highly nutritious. According to tests conducted by the Testing Center of the Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2007, the protein content in Fugu’s huangmi reaches 10.5%, while that of soft huangmi can reach up to 13.6% and even 17.9%. The content of all eight essential amino acids required by the human body is higher than that of wheat, rice, and corn. In particular, the methionine content is 299 mg per 100 g of millet, compared to 140 mg, 147 mg, and 149 mg in wheat, rice, and corn respectively—more than double. Huangmi not only has high nutritional value but also certain medicinal benefits. It can help prevent and treat conditions such as weak spleen and stomach, lung deficiency with coughing, hiccups and thirst, diarrhea, stomach pain, oral thrush in children, and scalds.