Amaranth pseudograin
This 8,000 year old food trend could feed the world
Amaranth, especially loved by health-conscious people
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Health-conscious people scramble for the pseudo-grain: Amaranth is rich in amino acids, an excellent source of protein – resistant and sustainable. So a food that could prove to be very valuable, especially in the climate crisis.
Amaranth has been a multi-billion dollar food product since the 1970s. Health-conscious people all over the world are vying for the ancient grain. As a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, amaranth is a very nutritious source of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and antioxidants that can improve brain function and reduce inflammation.
“This is a plant that could feed the world,” said Beata Tsosie-Peña, the coordinator of the environmental health and justice program at Tewa Women United in New Mexico, the Guardian. She had become interested in environmental justice because of it Frustrated by the environmental challenges of her home, Santa Clara Pueblo, an indigenous North American community outside the city of Española, New Mexico, downwind from the atomic facilities that built the first atomic bomb.
Amaranth – a source of the future
For Tsosie-Peña, amaranth is deeply rooted in culture. She is part of a growing network of indigenous women in North and Central America who share their ancestors’ knowledge of the cultivation and preparation of amaranth – also because now is exactly the right time to do so. In a time of climate crisis and industrialized agriculture, indigenous food systems are finally being listened to. Amaranth is not only a sustainable pseudo-grain, but also resilient. A single plant produces hundreds of seeds and has given many farmers in South and North America economic independence.
Amaranth is an 8,000 year old pseudo-grain. These are not grains, but seeds like quinoa and buckwheat. It was the Aztecs and Maya who cultivated amaranth because they knew about its source of protein and used the seeds for spiritual purposes. When the Spanish conquerors invaded, they banned the cultivation. They feared that indigenous spirituality would undermine Christianity. Fortunately, farmers have continued to secretly cultivate amaranth, which grew like weeds in the fields, even as far north as what is now the United States.
Source:“Guardian”