Quinoa (from Quechua kinwa or Okinawa ) is a species of the goosefoot genus (Chenopodium quinoa), a grain crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, as it is not a member of the true grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beetroots, spinach, and tumbleweeds. As a member of the Amaranthaceae family, it is related to and resembles amaranth, which is also a pseudocereal.
It is high in protein and is tolerant of dry soil.
Quinoa was important to the diet of pre-Columbian Andean civilizations.[16] Protein content is very high for a cereal/pseudo-cereal (14% by mass), but not as high as most beans and legumes. This includes a “low gluten contentâ€[17] that appears to be well tolerated when consumed at normal levels by people with celiac disease.[18] The protein content per 100 calories is higher than brown rice, potatoes, barley and millet, but is less than wild rice and oats.[19] Nutritional evaluations indicate that quinoa is a source of complete protein.[17][20][21] Other sources claim its protein is not complete but relatively high in essential amino acids.[22] Other pseudo grains derived from seeds are similar in complete protein levels; buckwheat is 18% protein compared to 14% for Quinoa; Amaranth, a related species to Quinoa, ranges from 12% to 17.5%.
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