What is Quinoa and What Can I Do With It?

Quinoa is an Ancient Grain

Quinoa was first described in 1797 by Carl Ludwig Willdenow, a German botanist and pharmacist. It was first cultivated in the area around Lake Titicaca in the South American Andes Mountains. Archeological evidence shows that quinoa was grown 5000 years ago in Peru, Bolivia and northern Chile. Quinoa was a very important crop for Andean cultures in these areas and also in present day Columbia and Bolivia. It was a staple food for the Incas and is still a food source for the current indigenous people living in these regions. Quinoa was a sacred crop for the Incas; they called it the “mother” of all grains, and the Incan emperor would plant the first quinoa seeds every year in a ceremony.

Quinoa is a very stress-tolerant plant and can be grown in diverse soil types and under harsher conditions where more traditional crops would not grow. This plant prefers cooler temperature, shorter days, and can tolerate mild frost. It is resistant to cold, salt and drought. Quinoa plants are broad-leafed and grow to be 3 to 9 feet tall. The seed heads can be many different colors like red, purple, orange, green black or yellow while the stalks are magenta.

When Spanish explorers arrived in the Andes Mountain region in the 1500s, they documented the widespread cultivation of quinoa. The Spanish tried to destroy the Incan culture by destroying many of the quinoa fields. They banned the cultivation of quinoa and replaced it with mainly corn and wheat. Some Europeans tried to take quinoa seeds to Europe; however, the seeds died during the journey and couldn’t germinate. This may have been due to the high humidity of the sea voyage. As a result, quinoa production declined during the next few centuries.

Resurgence of Quinoa Production

In the 1970s, quinoa experienced a resurgence along with a celebration of the native cultures that first cultivated it. In 1984, quinoa began to be exported to the US. At this point in time, processing quinoa was done by hand and the bitter tasting and mildly toxic coating of saponins concentrated on the seeds as the quinoa plant’s natural protection from pests was not always sufficiently removed. Besides tasting bitter the saponins can also irritate the digestive track. (Rinsing the quinoa removes the saponins.) Due to being threshed and winnowed by hand, the processed quinoa in the 1980s could also contain small rocks. Communities that produced quinoa sought to learn about processing machinery in Peru and Brazil and attempted to build quinoa processing equipment based on a barley hulling machine. In the 1990s, the United Nations financed the construction of processing plants. In 2005, the US and Denmark helped develop new technologies to improve the efficiency and quality of quinoa processing.

Unique Nutritional Content of Quinoa

Quinoa is part of the goosefoot family which also includes spinach, swiss chard, and beets. The quinoa leaves can be eaten like spinach, and its seeds can be used in the same way as grains. Quinoa is actually a seed and not a grain, but it is considered to be a pseudo cereal grain since its nutritional makeup is so similar to a grain. Quinoa can be used in place of grains and is actually a healthier option than typical grains since it is rich in fiber, B vitamins, many minerals, polyunsaturated fats, contains more protein than grains (1 cup of cooked quinoa has 8 grams of protein compared to 5 grams in 1 cup of cooked long-grain brown rice) and is gluten-free. In addition, quinoa also has a better distribution of essential amino acids compared to grains. Because of its high nutrient content, the United Nations has recognized quinoa as an effective tool in the fight against world hunger and malnutrition. The year 2013 was declared the international year of quinoa, a year of recognizing and celebrating quinoa and the indigenous communities that produce it.

Cooking and Using Quinoa

Quinoa is easy to cook and will be ready in 15-20 minutes compared to about 45 minutes for cooking brown rice or barley. For more information on how to cook quinoa, please refer to the “How to Cook Quinoa” recipe in the recipe section of the website.

Now that you know more about quinoa, you’re probably wondering “What can I do with quinoa?”. Here are some easy ideas:

• Serve as a side dish instead of brown rice or other grain. Cook the quinoa with broth instead of water and add a bay leaf to the cooking pot.
• Use quinoa instead of rice in casseroles.
• Serve cooked quinoa with grilled vegetables (such as squash, peppers, onions, asparagus, brussels sprouts, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms etc.).
• Eat it for breakfast: boil quinoa with 2 times as much nonfat milk or water. After it is cooked add chopped apples and raisins (or other fresh and/or dried fruits), cinnamon, pinch of brown sugar and top it with nonfat plain yogurt.
• Eat it with a fried egg on top.
• Add cooked quinoa to soups, chilis, or stews.
• Make a cold quinoa salad: toss cooled quinoa with diced tomatoes and cucumbers (or other vegetables), minced parsley, and add a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.
• Stuff quinoa, cooked ground turkey and/or beans, chopped onions, diced tomatoes, and some seasoning into green peppers (with the top cut off) or into hollowed out zucchini and bake or grill.
• Use it to make veggie burgers (along with mashed beans and seasonings).
• Cook quinoa with spices and salsa for “taco meat”.
• Add to vegetarian enchiladas.
• Stuff cooked quinoa into a baked apple and add some dried fruit and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Mix cooked white quinoa with a little unsweetened almond milk, a little maple syrup and vanilla and then layer it in a parfait glass with nonfat yogurt and berries.
• Add some cooked quinoa into the crumble topping for a fruit crisp.
• Substitute cooked quinoa for oatmeal in muffin and cookie recipes.
• Add cooked quinoa to pancakes to increase the protein content.

Information compiled from:
Ancient Grains https://www.ancientgrains.com/quinoa-history-and-origin/
GoGo Quinoa https://www.gogoquinoa.com/a-brief-history-of-quinoa/
Food First https://foodfirst.org/news/the-story-behind-the-popular-superfood-quinoa/
International Year of Quinoa 2013 http://www.fao.org/quinoa-2013/what-is-quinoa/origin-and-history/en/
https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/5-simple-ways-to-eat-quinoa-and-stay-healthy/