October 2006
Quinoa (KEEN–wah) was first cultivated near the equator in South America over 6,000 years ago. Ancient Native Americans revered it and called it chisaya mama meaning ‘mother of all grain.’ In the wake of the Spanish Conquistadores quinoa lost its once noble stature, and for centuries it was considered a peasant food. However, in recent decades quinoa has been gaining renewed respect and popularity in its native land and beyond. Quick cooking, great tasting, and super nutritious, quinoa has been called ‘the rice of the new millennium.’ It has even been under consideration as a candidate for NASAs Controlled Ecological Life Support System for extended manned space flights.
12 Minutes Stove to Table
Though not a true cereal grain but a member of the goosefoot (Chenopodium) family, quinoa is considered a whole grain. It has the best amino acid profile of any grain, with all essential amino's making it a ‘complete’ protein. Each round grain, about the size of millet, is bound with a narrow germ. When cooked, the germ separates from the seed and its delicate, almost crunchy curlicue complements the soft grain. The quickest cooking whole grain, quinoa is ready in 12 minutes. Use it as you would rice, as a side dish, salad, snack or breakfast cereal; in soups, stews, and chili's. EDEN Organic Quinoa is gluten free. It is an excellent source of dietary fiber, 44% daily value per serving; a good source of iron, vitamin E, riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine (B6), magnesium, and zinc; very low sodium, and saturated fat free. Best of all it has the fluffy texture and sweet nutty flavor sought after by quinoa lovers the world over.
Rubbed With Care
At over 12,500 feet on the Angula family farm in Imbabura, Ecuador is “the richest soil I have ever seen,” says Eden Purchasing Director Jon Solomon. The topsoil, teeming with earthworms and other organic life, is nine feet deep in many areas. This is an example of the small family plots on which EDEN Organic Quinoa is grown, all at over 11,000 feet high in the Andes Mountains. This high altitude produces the most sought after nutrient dense quinoa, and larger quinoa grains. EDEN Quinoa is also distinguished by the way it is handled. At harvest all quinoa has a coating of saponin, a waxy, soapy tasting substance that must be removed. While others water wash to excess, the saponin on EDEN Quinoa is mechanically removed by rubbing, preserving its nutrients and flavor.
