I understand, once a week I am haunted, Scrooge-style, by a ghost named Gerund, who is always quizzing me in my dreams about grammar.
Quinoa is an annual herb native to South America.
Its seeds are used a food throughout the Andes.
How was that?
Even with hippies being culturally on the wane, at the very least you'd think the people who avoid/scorn gluten (a group on the ascendancy) would have told you about the wonder plant known as Quinoa. Pronounced KEEN-wa, the plant is called a pseudocereal; meaning it is not a grass like wheat, rice or corn, but the crop is used like a grain. The plant is a chenopod, which literally means ‘goose foot’, here chenopod designates any member of the goosefoot family – beets & spinach are better known members of this clan.
Historically, Quinoa was second in importance only to the potato in the Andes. Cultivated from 5000 BCE to modern day, the crop fell out of favor in the post-Columbian or more accurately, the post-Pizarro years. The food was abjured for being ‘Indian food’ and additionally ran afoul of the conquistador’s sensibilities because it was used in indigenous religious ceremonies.Or the plant never gained favor because its ‘grains’ are coated with the bitter compound, saponin. The root, Sapo-, despite what you might have heard about the bathing habits of the ancient Romans, is Latin for soap. Pre-industrial and post-industrial ‘natural’ soaps were/are made from plants rich in saponin. Saponin is removed from the Quinoa plant by washing and friction – soaking causes the bitter compound to seep into the seed, not outward towards the soaking water – saponins aren’t poisonous, if ingested but certainly not pleasant, the taste has been sincerely described as ‘soapy’.
Whatever the reason Quinoa fell out of the food rotation, it is a shame: The crop grows well at very high altitudes, up to 13,000 feet. It thrives in poor soils and continues to be grown throughout the Andes to this day. Nutritionally, it is high in protein, about 12-16% (cow’s milk runs 4%) and contains essential amino acids to help make the most out of those proteins. High in fiber, rich in vitamins and an excellent source of essential minerals like zinc and iron - Quinoa is recommended for those with a meat-free diet.
Historically, Quinoa was ground and used like a grain in flatbreads. It was used whole in soups, stews, gruel/porridge and was/is used to make a fermented beverage known as chicha. It can be popped or boiled like rice. Presently, Quinoa is used as a gluten-free substitute in pasta and the USDA lists it as whole grain despite its non-grain like linage. As a result of this designation, Quinoa has seen a bit of a resurgence as an ingredient in whole grain products. I know a person who swears by their Quinoa breakfast cereal but I think most people would be more likely to recognize Quinoa from the unfortunate popular multicultural tabouli/tabbouleh recipe. You know, the one that went largely uneaten at the last vegetarian potluck you attended. Begging the question: Why do people with the least amount of cooking skills use the oddest ingredients: It would be like me doing advanced calculus when called upon to bring some math, rather than some addition or a little multiplication if I was feeling cocky.
Out of all the ‘alt-grains’ – teff, amaranth, millet - Quinoa might be the least objectionable, which is far from a ringing endorsement. Specifically, I find it least objectionable when it is baked with other ingredients, otherwise its flavor overwhelms me. Others have described the flavor as ‘umami’, ‘strong’ and ‘very earthy’. If by ‘very earthy’, they mean reminiscent of dirt, sure I can agree with the latter. I feel whole wheat is a half step removed from pica issues, so I might have the best palate to comment on Quinoa.
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