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Quinoa

A superfood, full of nutritive properties. Perfect for a cheesecake!

Origin

Quinoa is an herbaceous plant that, according to some studies, appeared in 3000 b.C. in Chile. Wrongly considered a cereal, quinoa was sacred since with its seeds, called by Incas and Mayas “grano de oro” they used to give as an homage to the god of Sun, Inti. The European invasion of south America reduced the cultivations, substituting it with wheat. Besides various destruction tentative, many families were able to keep some seeds and cultivations hidden, very precious now a day. Bolivia is the first producer but local populations keep complaining since the price is inaccessible to them, to the people that for years have been protecting this plant. 90% of the cultivations is exported.

Cookit

A superfood with a delicate and grainy taste. So full of proteins, minerals and gluten free, quinoa looks like a cereal but it isn’t. With this vegetable you can prepare many dishes, from breakfast (snack bars and brownies wit quinoa) to lunch (quinoa salads). It’s an alternative to meat and you can prepare many vegan dishes like hamburgers, meatballs and also flour.

Did you know

The UN declared 2013 quinoa’s international year because, according to José Graziano da Silva, FAO’s head, quinoa “play an important role in eradicating hunger, malnutrition and poverty”. Besides, NASA also endorsed quinoa saying that it is a very important resource for space trips since it is full of proteins and amino acid.

Variety

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