The other white grain.
Well, not actually a grain, it is the seed of the plant.
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a plant that was cultivated in the ancient South American Andes. The Incas called it the “mother grain”.
The Quinoa was mixed with fat and rolled into balls. The Inca tribes would sustain their armies on this alone. Hence the name “War Balls”
When the Spanish came across, they soon recognized the link between the highly nutritious food supply and the endurance of the native tribes. And in good conquering fashion the Spanish forbade the cultivation and consumption of Quinoa shortly after.
For those of us looking for alternatives to meat as a protein source Quinoa is a great alternative. I purchase a cook book – Quinoa 365 and have had great success with the recipes. It takes a quarter of the time to make compared to rice, comes in a flour format for substitution in baking and tastes great hot or cold. A very versatile food that has become a staple in our household…and they(my boys) didn’t even notice!
JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada
1 comment:
Yeah! I love quinoa, it's so great to know that other people do too. Wish I could get it here...well it sounds like you're enjoying it enough for the both of us.
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