Quinoa, the nutritious pseudocereal

Long famous in the world of vegetarian dishes, quinoa actually has every right to be considered an excellent supplement for any diet: ideal for making soups or risottos, its seeds have been used for millennia in the Andes, the place of origin of this plant, where they were consumed in a myriad of different preparations - including one a little less healthy than the others, which transformed the seeds into a fermented product, chicha.

It is known for certain that this seed was domesticated four thousand years ago, in the geographical area currently occupied by Bolivia, Peru and Chile. As we also write on the page dedicated to quinoa, it was originally considered a sacred plant, which made its cultivation problematic after the conquest of the Americas: the Catholic Church, in fact, frowned upon the link between this chenopodiacea and paganism, prohibiting its planting.

The survival of quinoa

Despite the prohibitions and misunderstandings of the Europeans, who considered quinoa a low-class food, the Incas preserved the cultivation of their sacred plant, allowing us to reevaluate it in more recent times. Modernly, in fact, we know that it is a source of both lysine and methionine, essential ingredients for building proteins: legumes and cereals must be combined together to provide the

same protein intake.

For centuries, this characteristic of quinoa seeds has helped poor people cope with the lack of meat, introducing an alternative and low-cost source of protein; rich in starch and minerals, quinoa is also gluten-free, making it suitable for consumption by celiac individuals.
Its nutritional values have made it the queen of the year 2013, declared the International Year of Quinoa by the United Nations Assembly, also in honor of the populations that have preserved it from extinction in

past centuries.

An in-depth analysis of the characteristics of quinoa

Cholesterol-free, quinoa is a good source of fiber and carbohydrates: it lends itself to being eaten as a main meal and, to enrich its flavor, it is possible to add vegetables and other ingredients to its preparation, both as a hot dish (winter) and as a cold salad (summer), in a similar way to preparing a good couscous.

Quinoa seeds have different colors, ranging from pale yellow to black: the visual impact of a quinoa-based dish, therefore, will never be the same, thus allowing the creation of always different combinations. Even the buds and leaves can be consumed, although commercially they are much rarer to see on the shelves (physical

and electronic).

Our quinoa-based products

On Spaghetti&Mandolino you will find a wide selection of pasta formats made with quinoa, rice and amaranth, but also the pseudocereal grains to be consumed at your leisure, creating new recipes or following the suggested preparation tips for each of our

products: discover them below!