Amaranth

Grain amaranths are vigorous annual plants, one to two metres tall, with broad leaves and dense, showy flower heads in red, purple, gold or green. Each plant can produce tens of thousands of seeds, which are very small, round and lens-shaped, about 1 mm across, in cream, golden or black colours. They are technically seeds of a broadleaf plant rather than true cereal grains.

Cooked amaranth turns into a sticky, porridge-like mass with a slightly peppery, nutty, grassy flavour and a texture that retains a slight crunch, as the seeds are so small. It is sold as whole seed, flour, flakes, puffed amaranth and as the sweet popped snack alegría. The leaves of many species are also cooked as greens worldwide.

Grain amaranths were domesticated in the Americas: Amaranthus hypochondriacus and A. cruentus in Mexico and Central America and A. caudatus in the Andes of Peru and neighbouring regions. Archaeological evidence suggests that amaranth seed was used thousands of years ago, with domestication possibly dating back several millennia.

The word amaranth comes from Greek amarantos, meaning unfading, referring to the long-lasting flower heads. The Aztec name huauhtli is still used in Nahuatl, and the Andean name kiwicha is Quechua.

Amaranth was a major crop of the Aztec empire, grown alongside maize and beans, and tribute lists record large quantities of the seed. The Aztecs mixed popped amaranth with honey or syrup and shaped the dough into figures of deities for religious festivals, which the Spanish found alarming because the ritual resembled Christian communion. After the conquest, the Spanish banned the cultivation of amaranth in many regions, and the crop declined sharply, though it survived in small plots in remote villages.

In Mexico, the tradition of popping amaranth with honey continues as the candy alegría, sold in markets and at festivals. Amaranth also spread to Asia, where it became a crop in the Himalayas and India, known as rajgira and used in fasting foods during Hindu festivals, and in parts of Africa, where the leaves are widely eaten.

Interest in amaranth revived in the 1970s, when researchers highlighted its high lysine content, unusual for a grain-like food, and its resilience in drought. The crop has since entered health-food markets as a gluten-free grain, and development projects in Mexico, Peru and India promote it as a nutritious regional crop.

Whole seed is boiled as porridge, added to soups and stews, cooked with other grains, or popped in a hot pan like tiny popcorn. The flour is used in gluten-free breads, pancakes, flatbreads and crackers, usually blended with other flours. Popped amaranth is bound with honey or sugar for Mexican alegría candy and for energy bars.

In India, rajgira flour makes flatbreads and sweets eaten on fasting days. The leaves are cooked as a vegetable in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia, and the seeds have also been fed to poultry.

Amaranth seed is naturally gluten-free and provides protein with more lysine than most cereals, as well as fibre, iron, magnesium and manganese. It is a good addition to varied, whole-food diets, but claims that it prevents or treats disease are not based on strong clinical evidence. Some studies show potential effects on cholesterol, which need further confirmation.