Incas grow quinoa (the original is pronounced "kinwa") on the terraced fields in the Andess in Peru, Bolivia and Chile before 6000 years ago; they kept producing there ever since. Incas called quinoa "mother of all seeds" and they worship it God-way. Each year, the Inca chief at equinox planted quinoa seeds with gold spoon. With plant they acted really economical. They grind grain into flour for bread and biscuits, leaves are used as vegetables, stems for firewood. Following the arrival of Spaniards in the American, quinoa was grown where other crops do not thrive; a new surge experienced in the 80th the last century, when they realized the quality of the seed.
Quinoa is a plant that thrives in very poor conditions with little rain, high altitudes; this is where other crops do not survive, so it is very suitable for organic production.
Of the more than 120 species they grow only three types of pale, whitish seeds, other varieties are red or black. Quinoa seed is defended from predators and diseases by a thick layer of saponins. Most of the saponin is removed by special procedures already from seed producers. Saponins are good antiseptics, so fluid, in which we rinsed quinoa, promotes wound healing and is an excellent detergent for washing dishes.
Quinoa is high in protein and fiber content and is one of the most nutritious food in the world. We cann call quinoa the eighth wonder of the world. Quinoa contain twice as much protein than conventional grain, less carbohydrates and some healthy fat.
In addition, it is classified as complete protein foods, which means that it contains all the essential amino acids to build muscle tisue just like meat, eggs or dairy products.
Quinoa has a delicious taste of nuts, to which we quickly become addictive; it cooks faster than rice and can be used to prepare risotto, salads, soups and even desserts.
We can say quinoa is super food. It works extremely powerful and is suitable for people of all ages. It contains more protein than any grain. It contains nearly ideal ratio of eight essential amino acids, particularly high lysine, other amino acids as the amount of phenylalanine, tyrosine, cystine, methionine is similar to the quantities of cereals. It does not contain gluten. It contains 3.9 times more calcium, 2-fold more phosphorus and more than half more iron than wheat. It contains less carbohydrate than other cereals.
It contains 16.2% protein, 6.9% fat, 63.9% carbohydrate, 3.5% fiber, vitamins E, B6, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, folic acid and minerals: calcium, phosphorus, iron, manganese , magnesium, copper, sodium, potassium, zinc.
Quinoa seeds can be milled into flour and add flour for bread, rolls, pancakes, puddings, or used for thickening sauces. They do not contain gluten, I recommend that the bread or pastry, use at least 25% of a mixture of wheat. Before cooking we thoroughly wash it in the lurch and pouring hot water to remove any saponins. The ratio of water and Quinoa be 1:2,5. The size of grains is increased four times during cooking, the grains become translucent with unusual outer ring. Cook over moderate heat 15 to 20 minutes and leave for 5 minutes to swell up. When we cooked it too much, get it in the refrigerator in covered container where you it can wait up to three days. Quinoa is used instead of cooked rice, so you can add it to stuffing, stews and. Cooked quinoa can be used in fruit salads. For one person 50 g of quinoa is needed. You can also buy quinoa milk.
Where can we buy quinoa? In health food shops or large stores on the shelves with healthy foods. Not exactly cheap, but that is with almost organic grain and other crop seeds.
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