Quinoa


 * = **Quinoa** =

Domestication:
 * Is an ancient food that is not yet well known in North America.
 * It has been cultivated in South American Andes since at least 3,000 B.C.
 * Strives in cooler climate, Sandy well drained soil, " Quinoa is generally undemanding and altitude-hardy"
 * Used as food, great nutritional value " As its protein content is very high (12%–18%)" " It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron "
 * Still used today all over the world for the same use.
 * Domesticated thousands of years ago.[[image:quinoa-grains.jpg width="240" height="156" align="right" caption="Quinoa Grain"]][[image:quinoa-in-bolivia.jpg width="223" height="151" align="right" caption="Harvesting Quinoa"]]

Biology:
 * The grain and leaves may be eaten.
 * It is a species of Chenopodium.
 * A typical growing season lasts 90 to 125 days from germination to full maturity.
 * It is part of the Plantae kingdom.

Human/Plant Relationship:
 * "The Incas, who held the crop to be sacred, referred to quinoa as //chisaya mama// or 'mother of all grains', and it was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using 'golden implements'."
 * "During the European conquest of South America, the Spanish colonists scorned quinoa as 'food for Indians', and even actively suppressed its cultivation, due to its status within indigenous non-Christian ceremonies"
 * Many Colonies depended on this plant as a main source of nutrition
 * "Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize"
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are about 1,800 varieties of quinoa, with a range that varies greatly in colour: white, pink, orange, green, red, purple, or black. Also range dramatically in many different way.

Refection:
 * I learned how a simple grain can be used so many ways and have great nutritional value. Although it is not as popular in North America as South it still is a known source of food. I wonder why this is the case though? Why it has not gotten so popular and how are the different way to cook it. I also wonder what it takes to go from the ground to on our plates.