Posts made in March 23rd, 2013

Quinoa

Posted on Mar 23, 2013 in Home Meals | 0 comments

I can’t forget about the quinoa that we ate at the Lake Louise Chateau restaurant, and I checked it online.

Quinoa has been harvested at an altitude of 2,500 – 4,000m in Bolivia and Peru mainly. I wonder if we ate some when we were there but just didn’t know…?

According to Wiki:

“Quinoa (the name is derived from the Spanish spelling of the Quechua name kinwa or occasionally “Qin-wah”) originated in the Andean region of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, where it was successfully domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago for human consumption, though archeological evidence shows a non-domesticated association with pastoral herding some 5,200 to 7,000 years ago.

The nutrient composition is very good compared with common cereals. Quinoa seeds contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron.”

The waitress said it was a “super food”. Now I understand. It has a nice texture when you crunch it. It’s light and delicious, so I can eat a lot.

When you boil it, some kind of sprout-looking thing comes out. So I was guessing it’s some kind of sprout or bean, but it says it’s a grain and seed. A bean is a seed. So my guessing was right?

We found it at a supermarket.
Just wash and boil them. That’s all. We can eat it as salad or throw them in anywhere you like.

At the restaurant, it was red quinoa, but the one we bought was not.

The year 2013 is supposed to be the United Nations International Quinoa Year! If you’ve never tried it, give it a try!