Q Is For Quinoa

There was a time, not so long ago, when quinoa was a genuine curiosity on British shelves, an unfamiliar grain with an unfamiliar name that most people struggled even to pronounce. Today it sits comfortably in kitchen cupboards across the country, its small, fluffy grains a familiar sight in salads, bowls and side dishes. Yet for all its recent popularity, quinoa carries a history that stretches back thousands of years, long before it became a fixture of the modern health conscious kitchen.

Quinoa was first cultivated in the Andean regions of South America, particularly around Lake Titicaca, where it has been grown for somewhere between three and five thousand years. It formed a central part of the diet for the Inca civilisation, who held it in such high regard that it was referred to as the mother grain, a staple considered sacred enough that the emperor himself would traditionally plant the first seeds of each new growing season using a golden implement.

Following the Spanish conquest, quinoa cultivation was actively suppressed in favour of European crops such as wheat and barley, and it survived largely in more remote Andean communities, where it continued to be grown much as it always had been, quietly overlooked by the wider world for centuries.

A Grain That Is Not QuitG A grain

Despite the way it is almost universally cooked and eaten, quinoa is not technically a true cereal grain at all, but rather the seed of a plant closely related to spinach and beetroot. This botanical quirk is part of what makes quinoa nutritionally distinctive among grains, offering a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids, a relatively rare quality among plant based foods and one that has done much to fuel its popularity among vegetarians and vegans in particular.

In the kitchen, quinoa's appeal lies largely in its versatility and its pleasingly light, fluffy texture once cooked, each tiny seed developing a distinctive little curl as its germ separates during cooking. Its flavour is mild and faintly nutty, making it an accommodating base for almost any combination of vegetables, herbs and dressings, equally at home in a warm winter bowl as it is in a cold summer salad. Unlike many grains, quinoa cooks relatively quickly, needing only a brief simmer before it is ready, and it can be used interchangeably with rice or couscous in many dishes, offering a slightly different texture and a welcome nutritional boost.

Quinoa also comes in several distinct varieties, most commonly white, red and black, each offering a subtly different texture and flavour. White quinoa tends to be the mildest and fluffiest once cooked, while red and black varieties hold their shape rather more firmly, offering a slightly more substantial bite that some cooks prefer for salads where a little more texture is welcome.

Fun Facts About Quinoa

• Quinoa is technically a seed rather than a true cereal grain, belonging to the same plant family as spinach and beetroot.
  

• The ancient Inca civilisation referred to quinoa as the mother grain and considered it sacred, with the emperor traditionally planting the first seeds of the season himself.
  

• Quinoa contains all nine essential amino acids, making it what is known as a complete protein, a relatively unusual quality among plant based foods.
  

• NASA has reportedly studied quinoa as a potential crop for long duration space missions, owing to its impressive nutritional density and relatively easy cultivation.

Using Quinoa In The Kitchen

1. Cook and cool, then toss with roasted vegetables, feta and a lemon dressing for a simple, substantial salad.
   

2. Use in place of rice as a base for a warm bowl, topped with grilled chicken or vegetables and a spiced yoghurt sauce.
   

3. Stir cooked quinoa through a vegetable soup or stew towards the end of cooking to add both texture and protein.
   

4. Combine with black beans, chilli and coriander for a bright, protein rich filling for wraps or peppers.

Quinoa proves that some of the most valuable ingredients have simply been waiting patiently to be rediscovered. Ancient in origin yet thoroughly modern in its appeal, it remains a genuinely useful addition to any kitchen looking for both flavour and nutrition.

As the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait, a sentiment quinoa embodies rather well, having waited several thousand years for the rest of the world to finally catch up.