Quinoa, From the Andes to the World
I was born and raised in Peru where most of the food we eat is a blend of native Peruvian, European and even Asian ingredients, While I grew up I did not realize the variety of national products we have and I just learned to appreciate it now that I live in Europe. Is not that I can´t find it here, but is not easy; many products are sold world wide but not in all markets.
One of the products I really miss is "Quinoa". My kids just love it and ask me to cook it almost all the time. For south american people, quinoa is the equivalent to rice, is our own cereal and a very versatile ingredient in our cuisine.
Well now let me explain what exactly "Quinoa" is. Even when we consider it a cereal it is not exactly one. Is what experts call pseudo cereal because is not exactly a grain and does not belong to the grass family. I was really surprised to find out that it actually belong to the family of beets and spinach, Quinoa is actually a grain like crop grown to use its edible seeds.
Quinua or Quinoa was originated in the Andean region of South America, and has been considered an important food for about 6000 years. It is important to say that is cultivated in high altitudes, about 4000 mt over the sea level. The Incas considered Quinua as the mother of all cereals and was not only a basic element of their diet but a very important element on their ceremonies too. I just learned that during the Spanish conquer of the Incas Empire, the grown of this product was almost forbidden because it was considered food for the "Indians" and the south american people where forced to grow wheat instead.
In this times Quinoa is still a very important part of our diet, not only because is a national product, but also because it´s nutritional value as it has a high content of proteins and amino acids.
preparation and culinary uses
As I said before, for south american people Quinua is like rice. It can be cooked in different ways (boiled or steamed), seasoned with different spices (sweet, sour savory, hot), served as an appetizer, soup, dessert or as an entree. It only depends on what to you want to do with this product. For international chefs Quinua is the alternative for rice or cous cous.
Even when most of the commercial packages of quinua offer us an already clean product, is important to realize the cleaning process it goes through. Most boxed quinoa has been pre-rinsed for convenience The first step in preparing quinua is to remove the saponins (chemical compounds present on certain natural ingredients) a process that requires soaking the grain in water for a few hours, then changing the water and re-soaking, or rinsing it in running water either in a fine strainer or in a cheesecloth. Removal of the saponin helps with digestion; the soapy nature of the compound makes it act as a laxative.
Cooking process is similar that rice, it is boiled or even steamed. Then it is used as a meal itself often cooked into delicious stews or hearty soups, it is also used as a side dish to be served with meat or vegetables. We use it very often in desserts and also as a breakfast meal (served with milk, fruits or nuts) as it is many times sold as a dried product like corn flakes.
Quinua also offers us the possibility to used its flour which is gluten-free. We can use it in bakery the same way we use wheat flour being sure that we have not only a high nutritious product but also a high level of fiber, a very important element for our body.
I hope you enjoyed this short hub and next time that you go to the international section of your supermarket you look for this wonderful product. Do not hesitate to buy it and try this product brought from The Andes to the World.