This month’s feature ancient grain is QUINOA. Pronounced Keen-Wah, Quinoa is a species of goosefoot grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudo cereal rather than a true cereal as it is not a grass.

Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as the 'mother of all grains', and it was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using 'golden implements'.

Quinoa has many health promoting properties. It has the highest protein content of all grains, and with amaranth, they are the only two grains that contain complete proteins. It also has more calcium than milk, and is a good source of iron, phosphorous and vitamins B & E.

Quinoa is available from Fuerst Day Lawson as a grain, flaked or puffed and as such has many different applications.

Quinoa can be toasted and served as a high-protein breakfast food mixed with granola, honey, almonds, coconuts or berries; it is also sold as a dry product, much like corn flakes. The grain is also now widely available in the supermarkets alongside couscous & bulgar wheat & can be used in the same way. Sainsburys and Tesco have recently shown interest in adding it, in its cooked form, to their dressed salad range. It also works well incorporated into breads or used as a topping like sesame.
The flakes add an interesting texture and flavour when incorporated into muffin and cookie mixes. It is equally successful in savoury biscuits. Puffed Quinoa also work well mixed with melted chocolate or toffee and left to set in the way the puffed rice is used more commonly.

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