Pronounced (keen-wah), David Zinczenko, author of The Abs Diet Ultimate Nutrition Handbook, lists quinoa--a grain, as #7 on his ranking of the 100 Best Foods Ever.  (The top ten:  Berries, Eggs, Yogurt, Black Beans, Kiwifruit, Almonds, Quinoa, Salmon, Oats, Spinach/Kale, Mango, Tomatoes.)  Although still relatively unknown or unused in the majority of the world, with the exception of health food enthusiasts, quinoa has been prolifically grown throughout the mountains of South America since 3,000 B.C.  Growing easily at higher altitudes and in cold dry climates, the grain assisted in the development of great cultures.  The Incas considered it to be the bread of life.

Quinoa is a single species of the Chenopodium genus--it's not in the grass family like wheat or barley.  A perennial, salt-tolerant plant, growing from 1.5--6 feet tall, it bears red, black, or white small flat seeds known as quinoa.  The seed itself is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids 8.75%, protein 16.2%, and starch 65.2%.  Rich in calcium, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, it is also a good source of the B vitamins.  Its composition of amino acids is balanced (lysine, methionine, cystine), from which quinoa receives the "perfect food" title.  A half cup has 374 calories, 13 grams of protein, and 6 grams of fat-- less than 1g saturated.

Today quinoa can be steamed and ready, replacing any grain, in 15 minutes.  For the kid in all of us, pasta versions are available as well, most always gluten and wheat free.  Clotilde Dusoulier, author the Parisian cooking blog Chocolate & Zucchini offers a very modern recipe using red quinoa-- Salad de Quinoa Rouge, Povrons et Pignons.  Just as chocolate, tomatoes, and potatoes were "discovered" in the New World and acclimated to the cuisines of the Old World, so too has Quinoa--the Superfood.

David Zinczenko