Quinoa

[Deleted]

Quinoa appears to be all the rage in European health food stores at the moment.

It is relatively rare and produced only in Peru and Bolivia, so it is great for their economies but not so good for the consumers' budgets.

I have eaten it a few times, and I frankly do not see the point of it. There are plenty of other similar items to eat without searching the ends of the earth.

[happytraveller]

I find it quite unique and really really like it. Unfortunately my Mr. does not like it much, I haven't had it for years ! Might go in the next health food shop and get some and cook it when the Mr. is on weekend shift.
Thanks for reminding me of Quinoa

[bjd]

The quinoa I find here in supermarkets comes from Ecuador. Interestingly, they don't seem to sell it in Ecuador. I like it but you have to add something -- like cook it in stock and add some mushrooms and onion.

[Deleted]

Well, if Ecuador exports any, there certainly wouldn't be any left over for local consumption since, according the the Wiki link in my OP, Ecuador only produces 1% of the total amount (which is why I didn't mention it).

[spindrift]

Quinoa is meant to be the perfect food high in all nutrients including protein. I'm sure it tastes vile. I should be eating it - more as a medicine than as something to enjoy. I'll buy some.


Aramanth is another one.

Quinoa and aramanth recipes.

www.saltspringseeds.com/recipe/powerfoods.htm

[happytraveller]

It does not tase vile at all spindrift, just try it...

[spindrift]

I will if you say that!

When I was in Australia I was able to buy Puffed Aramanth breakfast cereal which is an ideal way to eat it. I haven't seen it in Europe. Anyone know about this?

[happytraveller]

I have never tasted Aramanth but have heard it is similar to Quinoa.

[Deleted]

Another reason that quinoa is in the news is that increased cultivation appears to be creating some sort of ecological disaster on the salt flats where it is grown.

[rikita]

i bought a package of quinoa and one of amaranth today, actually. before seeing this thread.

hm, wondering about the salt flats though that you just mentioned - then again i bought it in one of those bio-concious stores so i hope they watch out where their stuff was grown...

in peru, i often ate quinoa soup - basically a normal soup but with quinoa in it, instead of rice or pasta... it tasted very nice. i was told that quinoa used to be completely forgotten there too and only in the last years started to come back into fashion. it is more difficult to prepare than rice or pasta, which is why a lot of people eat the latter these days - that again is part of the reason a lot of people are malnutritioned though (like the indigenous kids with light hair, which apparently is caused by a lack of various parts of food) - as they can't afford a lot of stuff to go along with their rice-potato-pasta-soups... so some people are trying to promote quinoa there, as they then would get better nutrition...

i also bought quinoa when i was in sweden as they had it there quite cheap in a supermarket (here they have it only in bio-stores etc., which are more expensive) and often had just a kind of thick quinoa soup for breakfast, and not only did i like that taste-wise, but it gave me enough strength for my bike tour, until i would reach the first store where i could buy fruit for my second breakfast...

amaranth - haven't eaten that yet, but bought some to try it out...

[bixaorellana]

That's really interesting, Rikita. When I saw this thread I was wondering if you had eaten it in Peru. Did you see it growing there?

Do you feel the quinoa soup or gruel was better for bike touring than say a bowl of oatmeal?

Amaranth is common here, but mostly in the form of candy made with the puffed amaranth. It doesn't have a lot of taste, but I don't think most puffed grains do.

[rikita]

i might have seen it growing, but not conciously. the people i knew weren't growing it afaik ...

well for one thing, i like it better than oatmeal (i am okay with oatmeal too, occasionally, though) - and oatmeal is thicker, which is sometimes difficult for me as i can't always eat well in the morning. quinoa is lighter...

[lagatta]

Quinoa has far more protein than oats, and more complete. The protein isn't gluten (Quinoa is a "pseudocereal", not a true grain). Gluten-intolerant people can eat it.

It is being grown on the Canadian prairies as well; no doubt it can also be grown in other places. www.quinoa.com/ grainscanada.gc.ca/ancient-anciens/quinoa-eng.htm

I like it and have been eating it for several years now, but not as some kind of magic bullet, just another healthy grain. The reason it is more difficult to prepare than other grains is that the tiny seeds have a saponin coating, protecting them from birds, and this must be rinsed off thoroughly. Not a great problem in the global North, and most of the quinoa we buy is pretty much rinsed anyway, but a serious problem for households that have to fetch their water.

[bixaorellana]

Well, that settles it -- I'm seeking it out. I really love whole grains anyway, and the idea of eating something that truly "sticks to the ribs" and supplies protein is hard to beat.

I like oatmeal, but have found that if one wants to eat a breakfast that lasts for several hours, only protein will do.

[Don Cuevas]

Isn't quinoa a grain that has to have its saponins thoroughly washed out to make it edible?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa
We had Nora Mill 10-Grain Cereal for breakfast. We really like it. It's coarse and hearty, and sticks to my ribs for several hours.

[Deleted]

I think that all of us on this forum are part of the correctly or over-nourished part of the world, so I am always amazed when people are looking for food that provides more and more nourishment.

I say that quinoa would be better off being delivered to the refugee camps of the world. The rest of us are surviving just fine.

[traveler63]

K2 agree with you completely. My approach is to reduce the size of my portions, Americans eat too much, the portions at restaurants are huge!!!. I am completely staying away from fast foods, all of this is why we are all so fat!!!. Do my regular exercise, gym 3-4 days a week for 1 1/2 hours. Cut down on red meat, eat more fish, increase vegetables, and fruit. Then when we travel we don't feel so guilty!!!!!
Of course, wine will always be on the menu!!!!

[bixaorellana]

You men don't read!

DonC ~~ LaGatta pointed out the necessity of washing saponins off the quinoa.

K2 ~~ Some of us like grains and the idea of a bland but nourishing breakfast.

It's true that there are people who approach each newly introduced foodstuff as something that will give them eternal youth and health. However, it's good to be cognizant about nutrition and to be willing to reeducate oneself about eating habits. So, if a "new" food such as quinoa serves to do that, it's a good thing, right?

[Deleted]

Even if the producing regions begin to starve?

[rikita]

do they, kerouac? above it was mentioned that it is also produced in canada... else, i would suppose it is produced in andean countries - they are poor, but they aren't starving. i guess the important thing would be to watch out in what way it was produced though, i.e. buy it from a store that sells fair trade products etc. ... that way, i would guess you help them rather than starve them...

and btw, i have no idea at all where and how the rice and other very common food products in my local supermarket was grown...

i guess there is of course the option of eating only locally grown things, and i do respect that... but i guess very few people actually fully go through with that...

oh, and the overnourished west might get healthier on quinoa than they are from the things most people here seem to eat (meat, meat and meat mainly)...

[Deleted]

Sounds like you live in Germany!

[rikita]

indeed. people seem to think a meal is not a meal if it didn't once have eyes.

[Deleted]

Well, you certainly are going to have trouble stuffing quinoa down their throats.

[lagatta]

Not really: there are Currywurst Germans and Qwark Germans.

[traveler63]

Actually I think that there are a lot of us that don't think every meal has to have eyes. Just as I think that there are many who really like grains. I do, but I like everything in moderation. The key is balance. Many recipes and meals have very good variety. Just for instance, some people really like Tofu. I have given it a fair chance, and not for me. It is the texture. However, I found that soy and soy milk are better for me. As one gets older, one finds substitutes for items that their body seems to reject. Love, corn, could eat it all day long when I was younger, not so much now. Adapting is key to finding a balance and what works for one doesn't for another. I am also experimenting with Forbidden Rice.

[bixaorellana]

Kerouac, do you think the cossacks are riding in and scooping up all the quinoa directly from the bowls of the hungry Peruvians & Bolivians?

Sometimes a demand for a certain agricultural product in the wealthier world can create a niche for farmers in less developed countries. Look at cocaine!

[Deleted]

No, the problem is that the cultivation is destroying the soil there.

[bixaorellana]

Oh -- I only read the Wikipedia article you linked in the OP. Where did you find info about it depleting the soil?

[rikita]

wondering that too. i am sure it can happen when grown wrongly and in the wrong region - but on the other hand it is a very old crop in the andes, so somehow i can't imagine that it always was bad for the soil? maybe it has to do with the amounts grown?

[Deleted]

Yes, it is due to the increased cultivation. There have been quite a few reports about this in the French media, but I guess the English language media is not yet interested (perhaps they do not consume as much quinoa).

Of course, if cultivation is moved elsewhere, the benefits for the South American farmers will disappear.

Here is a French article.