Quinoa

Quinoa is a broad-leaved annual that grows 1 to 2 metres tall and bears dense clusters of tiny flowers at the top of the stem, which turn into heavy seed heads in colours from white and yellow to red, purple or black. The seeds are about 2 millimetres across, flat-round with a pale ring, and are coated in saponins, bitter compounds that protect the plant from birds and insects. Commercial seed is usually washed or polished to remove them. Cooked quinoa is light and fluffy with a mild, nutty, slightly grassy flavour, and the germ separates as a small curled tail. It is closely related to beets, spinach and amaranth.

Quinoa originated in the Andes of South America, in the area around Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia, where it was domesticated thousands of years ago. It is adapted to high altitude, poor soils, cold nights and dry conditions, and will grow at over 3,500 metres. Peru and Bolivia are the major producers, with Ecuador, and increasing cultivation in the United States, Canada, Europe and China. Many varieties are grown, and the Andes still hold great genetic diversity of the crop.

Quinoa was a staple food of Andean peoples including the Inca, who regarded it as sacred and called it the mother grain, and a ceremonial first planting was done by the Inca ruler. Seeds, leaves and flours were used in food, drink and ritual. Spanish colonists suppressed quinoa cultivation in favour of wheat and barley, partly because of its religious significance, and the crop survived mainly among rural Andean farmers.

Quinoa began to attract world attention in the late twentieth century, thanks to interest in its nutrition, including by researchers in the United States and by space agencies. Export demand grew sharply in the 2000s and 2010s, raising prices and provoking debate about effects on local Andean diets and farming. The United Nations declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa. Production has since spread to many countries, and new low-saponin varieties are being bred.

Quinoa is rinsed well to remove saponins, then simmered in about twice its volume of water for around 15 minutes until the spirals separate. It serves as a base for salads and grain bowls, as a side dish like rice, in soups, stuffed vegetables, veggie burgers and breakfast porridge. It can be popped, toasted, or ground into flour for gluten-free baking, pasta and crackers. In the Andes it is used in soups, stews, flatbreads and the fermented drink chicha. The leaves of the plant are also eaten as greens in some areas.

Quinoa is a source of complete plant protein, including lysine, which is usually low in true cereals, and provides fibre, folate, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and iron. It is naturally gluten-free and has a moderate glycaemic response. It also contains flavonoids such as quercetin. It is not a significant source of vitamin B12 or calcium. Soaking and rinsing reduce saponins and phytates, and cooking in water makes its minerals more available.