I came to know about this wonderful super food for the first time on my 2013 visit to USA. In fact my daughter Iris as well as her family friends are enjoying it since long and reaping the benefits.
People of modern time forgotten Quinoa, it had been a fundamental food source for thousands of years in Andes, it has made inroad to kitchen shelves now in 21st century.
Quinoa actually belongs to the same family as the sugar beet and spinach! This is referred to as the goosefoot family. Botanically, they’re very similar. So quinoa isn’t really a grain at all. It’s actually a seed. but cooked like a whole grain. It is praised by modern nutrition experts as king of all super foods for its superior protein composition and content, as well as its fiber and iron. Moreover it is free from gluten.Its quick cooking quality further contributed to is surging popularity.
Its leaves are also eaten in like spinach in South American Countries such as Chile, Bolivia.It is easy to cultivate as it can easily grown in poor soil without fertilizer or irrigation.
United Nations has also recognized its importance and declared it a “super crop” .In fact it had declared year 2013 as the' International Year of Quinoa' as a recognition of the "crop's resilience, adaptability and its potential contribution in the fight against hunger and malnutrition". It hopes that quinoa is destined to carry the task of both boosting food security and providing economic growth to small-scale farmers as the crop does not make much demand on soil fertility, water and labour.
One can trace Quinoa's history among one of the most powerful civilizations on the American continent. It originated with the Incas in the mountains of Bolivia, Chile and Peru. It’s been at the forefront in these regions for 5,000 years. It was a staple for the Incas and is still a prominent food source for their indigenous descendants, the Quechua and Aymara people. It was a sacred crop to the Incas who called it the mother of all grains or chisaya mama. The legend states that the Inca emperor would ceremoniously plant the first quinoa seeds every year.Like many of the ancient grains, quinoa slipped into obscurity in 1532 with the arrival of the Spanish. Explorer Francisco Pizarro, in his resolve to destroy Inca culture, had quinoa fields destroyed. Only small amounts survived high in the mountains. That all changed in the 1970’s when quinoa was reintroduced to the modern world.
Quinoa craze in US and other wealthy western nations is driving South Americans nut. as the export increased so is the price in local markets there, the staple diet of poor is now beyond their reach.
But good news is : Washington State has taken a lead in Quinoa research and found Western Washington climate ideal for it. Yakima Valley farmers started taking experimental crop.
Closer to home, Quinoa's experimental cultivation has started in Anantpur area in Coastal Andhra where 'Project Ananta' has yielded very encouraging response. Incidentally, the cereal is already in demand in Indian cosmopolitan cities is being imported by many including celebrities and ex-part at nearly Rs 1,500 per kg as a substitute for rice as it does not have the carbohydrates that is present in high quantity in rice.
Since India's Independence, four revolutions — wheat, milk, pharma and IT — put us on the path of prosperity. But healthcare remains a missed opportunity alongside manufacturing, tourism and nuclear energy.
Today, India tops global charts in malnutrition and also diabetes. Excess carbohydrates lead to diabetes. Lack of adequate food or inadequate nutritive value in the food causes malnutrition. Quinoa could be the silver bullet that addresses both these issues. There is a need to replicate 'Project Anantpur' in other areas also.
Try a Quinoa recipe called 'Sesame Quinoa with Edamame'
25 gm Arame Seaweed (Try to grab it at Godrej Nature Basket in Mumbai or Khan Market in Delhi)
2 Cups Quinoa
450 gm frozen shelled Edamame (Soyabean Fali ke beej)
2 Table spoon Sesame Seeds (Black)
one third cup Sesame Oil
half teaspoon minced garlic
one table spoon minced fresh ginger
half table spoon red pepper flakes
one third cup brown rice vinegar (if not available then take three table spoon white vinegar and three table spoon water and one spoon sugar. Mix the ingredients)
one third cup Tamari ( rich, naturally fermented soy sauce.)
Boil 3 cups water add Quinoa. Bring back to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to sit covered until water is absorbed and stir to fluff.
Steam Edamame for 2 minutes to thaw: let cool.
Toast sesame seeds in a dry saute pan over medium heat for four minutes. When ingredients cool down, mix together Quinoa, arame, edamame and sesame seeds.
Heat sesame oil, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes for few minutes in a saute pan over medium heat. Pour over Quinoa mixture. Add rice vinegar and tamari ; mix well and serve.
This is sufficient for 16 servings as a side dish.
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