An Introduction to Quinoa
Quinoa has exploded in popularity in recent years, and can be found in the kitchen of every discerning health-conscious foodie. It’s a superb store cupboard staple ingredient for people wanting to avoid rice and looking for an easy-to-prepare, filling accompaniment to stews, curries and casseroles.
It’s also excellent in a salad, or added to snack bars and flapjacks, and the flour can be used for crackers, breads, cakes and biscuits with fantastic results.
But have you ever wanted to know more about this wonder-ingredient? Then read on…
Quinoa is from the same plant family as Amaranth. It’s used and considered as a grain, but it’s actually a pseudocereal.
Quinoa cultivation began in South America, but it’s now grown in countries all over the world, including India, Kenya, the United States, Spain and Ireland.
Quinoa naturally contains no gluten, so it’s ideal for coeliacs and anyone trying to avoid the gluten found in wheat and other commonly-used grains. A study conducted in 2014 found that the addition of quinoa to the gluten-free diets of coeliac patients was well tolerated and did not exacerbate the condition.
There are over 120 different kinds of quinoa
Quinoa comes in loads of different varieties and colours. Some of these offer a softer texture while some have more of a bite; some are nutty, with a deeper flavour, while others are more subtle. Among the most popular are red, black, white and tricolour. The general rule is that the darker the colour is, the longer it will take to cook.
It comes in lots of different forms
As well as whole quinoa, it’s also available as flakes, and it can be popped like popcorn to produce quinoa puffs. You can even buy quinoa flour, which can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes.
It's our most mispronounced product!
It’s not “cooey-noah”. It’s not even “kwin-oh”. People’s efforts to pronounce the name of this wonderful little ingredient have provoked much mirth and confusion over the years, but for anyone who’s still in the dark about how to wrap your mouth around the word, the correct pronunciation is “keen-wah”!
We have a massive range of all types and forms of quinoa at Healthy Supplies, including a great choice of granola, crackers and snacks using it as an ingredient. Come and stock up on all things quinoa-related here!