Quinoa: It is Not Just for Incas and Hippies Anymore

I hate to admit it, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out the appropriate pronunciation for quinoa. “KEY-noa” was one particular iteration I remember using in casual conversation many years back, and I may have even used “KWA-noa” at the moments I was feeling particularly unsure. However quinoa (appropriately pronounced as “KEEN-wah”) is much more than its confounding name. Once a staple to the Incas, which during the European conquest of South America was regarded by colonists as a lowly food and outlawed by the Spanish conquistadors, quinoa has bounced back and become, not just trendy, but widely embraced by everyone from vegetarians looking for a protein fix, but highly touted chefs looking for a new flavor profile.

Quinoa, widely thought of as a grain (as the Incas liked to call it chisaya mama, or “mother of all grains,” because of its astounding nutritional profile and relative heartiness) is actually more of a seed than a grain. Composed of yellow pods that are actually the seeds of the plant chenopodium quinoa, which is native to Peru and Bolivia and related to beets, chard and spinach, quinoa is a complete protein. This means that, along with being enormously attractive to vegetarians, it contains all nine essential amino acids, along with lysine, which promotes tissue growth and tissue repair. In addition it is a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus, and for all of those gluten-intolerant people out there, it is decidedly gluten-free.

Along with being enormously good for you, quinoa is enormously versatile as well. It comes in a spectrum of colors (from black to orange) and can be boiled into pilafs, turned into soups, ground into flour for pasta and/or breads, made into an oatmeal-styled breakfast porridge (I like mixing mine with dried apricots and cinnamon) or even chicha, a beer made from fermented quinoa. Quinoa is largely a culinary blank slate that can be infused with just about any flavor (sweet or savory) and made to assume any form from bread to drink (remember: when preparing quinoa, rinse the seeds before cooking to remove any lingering soapy saponin, which is a naturally occurring bit of pest control on the outer membrane of the seeds).

Just this week, NPR ran a story about the relative quinoa boom driving up demand, as well as prices for the Andean staple. According to the report, ” a few years ago 16 ounces of Andean Naturals quinoa retailed for $2 at Trader Joe’s. It’s now $4.” The concern is that if prices keep climbing, quinoa could stop showing up in traditional soups and porridges in Bolivian farmers and peasants. But judging from the virtual plentitude and vigor of the crop, those days of lack seem to be unlikely.

Now quinoa, like anything else, is not for everyone. Many find the flavor and/or consistency to be less than desirable, while others just simply don’t really know what to do with it. Below are a few links to some quinoa recipes posted on Care2, but I am sure readers and quinoa enthusiasts have their own take on quinoa? What are some of your favorite recipes? Is it really as versatile as they say, or is it best used as mortar to seal up cracks in your foundation? Enlighten us?

Tasty Toasted Quinoa Salad
Quinoa and Eggplant “Caviar”
Basil Quinoa Salad

New York Times Quinoa Recipes

101 Cookbooks Quinoa Recipes

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Dallas E.

9:28AM PST on Jan 14, 2012

Thanks for the info, I have been a little in the dark about this 'seed', and now I can say I know what I am talking about. As a newer vegetarian, I will be looking for and trying quinoa very soon.

send a green star

Michele W.

9:41AM PST on Jan 13, 2012

Thank you

KS G.

4:53AM PST on Jan 3, 2012

Thanks for the article.

Danuta W.

4:27AM PST on Jan 3, 2012

Thanks for posting this informative article.

Jennifer C.

12:29AM PDT on Sep 12, 2011

Good to know. Thanks for posting.

KrassiAWAY B.

4:44AM PDT on May 16, 2011

Noted with interest.

David J.

8:07AM PDT on Mar 25, 2011

Quinoa is awesome! It is one of my favorite foods now. If you think it's dull tasting, then you should try not eating so much pasta and white bread and you may start to find the taste very pleasing. And it's super healthy which always helps give me a neuro connection. You need to rinse and hand scrub the bitterness off and try various kinds like white and red or our favorite, a blend. Grab some good natural chicken stock or broth instead of water, learn different ways to cook it... I am amazed at why this crop was never really known until recent years and then I read the wiki article on how the Spanish Catholics used it as a status crop as they destroyed the agriculture of South American's Christians. And now this just makes it even more disheartening that the people of the Andes has to chose a cash crop over it's own nutrition. Maybe they are smarter and will use the capital to boost harvest and eventually the crop will be more plentiful once again and available for the people.

But it seems like it's going to become a commodity crop that will hold such a high price tag both in international trade and domestic sales in places like America that we need another country to help out.... like South America!!! Wonder what kind of petition can be started to help build interest and awareness and who should it be directed to so it doesn't become over-capitalized (like everything else in the effing world?

John S.

11:35AM PST on Mar 6, 2011

I've tried it, but it's just boring.

Diane S.

4:58PM PST on Mar 3, 2011

I have started to make quinoa porridge for breakfast. It's quite nice .

Eternal G.

5:37PM PST on Feb 22, 2011

It's delicious too, I'm growing it in my garden!