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Quinoa is the seed of the goosefoot species Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Amaranthaceae or Chenopodiaceae). It is cooked like grain. During cooking, the germ comes out of the seed and dangles, curled, from it, or falls off.
Quinoa comes from the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6000 years. It is very undemanding and altitude-hardy, so it can be cultivated in the Andes up to 4000 meters. Quinoa grows best in well-drained soils and requires a relatively long growing season. It is also susceptible to a leaf miner in eastern North America which may reduce crop success. The leaf miner also affects the common weed Chenopodium album, but C. album is much more resistant.
Similar Chenopodium species were probably grown in North America before corn agriculture became popular. Chenopodiums were also used in Europe as greens. Chenopodium album which has a widespread distribution in the United States produces edible seeds and greens much like Quinoa, but in lower quantities. Caution should be exercised in collecting this weed, however, because when growing in heavily fertilized agricultural fields it can accumulate dangerously high concentrations of nitrate.
In colonial times, quinoa was scorned by the Spanish colonists as "food for Indians", but in more enlightened times the grain has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value. Unlike wheat or rice, quinoa contains a full complement of the amino acids which the human body can't produce itself, making it an unusually complete foodstuff. It also contains the essential fatty acid omega 3 providing benefit to the heart.
Preparation
Quinoa is an easy grain to prepare, requiring no more than ten minutes of boiling for a light, fluffy texture with a slight butternut flavour. Most North Americans prepare one cup dry quinoa in four cups of water and two of stock for accentuation of natural flavours. Once drained with a sieve, this method will yield three cups cooked grain. Quinoa makes an excellent breakfast cereal, mixing it with honey, almonds and berries. It is also well-suited to vegetable pilafs, complementing bitter greens such as kale.
An alternative preparation method is to treat quinoa much like rice, bringing two cups of water to a boil with one cup of grain, covering at a low simmer, and cooking 15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Alternatively you can use a rice-cooker to heat quinoa. Vegetables and seasonings can be added to make a wide range of dishes.
In its natural state quinoa has a coating that is very bitter tasting, making it essentially unpalatable. Most quinoa sold commercially in North America has been processed to remove this coating. Unprocessed quinoa can be made palatable by rinsing it in ample running water either in a fine strainer or in cheesecloth, and then cooking via the desired method. Some have speculated that this bitter coating may have caused the Europeans who first encountered quinoa to reject it as a food source, while adopting other regional products like corn and potatoes.
The leaves of the quinoa plant may also be eaten as a leafy vegetable much like spinach, but commercial availability of quinoa greens is extremely limited at this time.
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