24 Facts About Quinoa You Need to Know
Quinoa is really a superfood that can replace or alternate with that of the grains which. It has much less amount of carbs in it which makes it much good to be used. There are quite a lot of possibilities through which you can choose to have the finest way through which you can use the ingredient.
- International year of quinoa
- What to expect from IYQ?
- Who can be benefited by IYQ?
- What is it?
- Is it a cereal?
- How it tastes?
- Amaranth and quinoa are same?
- Distinct properties
- Nutrition
- How to consume?
- Uses of quinoa other than eating
- History and origin
- Quinoa and the places suitable
- Total production in world
- Land needed for growing quinoa
- Types
- Quinoa and cultivation
- How many kg of seeds needed for planting
- Time for quinoa for growing
- Support for cultivation
- When and how to buy stationary
- Which is the most successful type of quinoa today on the world’s market?
- Which is the country that exports most of quinoa to the world market?
- How much does 1 tonne of quinoa cost?
1. International year of quinoa
The year 2013 is considered as the international year of Quinoa by UN by recognizing the indigenous people who lives in Andes and who have actually maintained, preserved, protected as well as controlled quinoa in the form of food for the generations that are there in the present and also for the ones in future. They have got much amazing traditional knowledge as well as practices for living in harmony with the nature. UN General assembly has also focused on promoting quinoa with the nutritional qualities it has got and also the adaptability for this to be cultivated in various ecological as well as agro conditions. It can really fight against food insecurity and also hunger. It is something which is launched in the year of 2013.
2. What to expect from IYQ?
IYQ (International Year of Quinoa) can be considered as catalyst in enabling exchange information and also can start in generating long term as well as medium term programs as well as protects for sustainable development of the quinoa cultivation both globally and nationally. The aim of the program is to ensure that the world attention can be gathered towards the nutritional value and the biodiversity for the food security and also eradication of poverty. It is possible for you to achieve this if you are really spending a good amount of time for the same in really much better way.
3. Who can be benefited by IYQ?
There are so many people who can be benefited by the IYQ which are really diverse and also multiple. The major aim of this is to make use of the nutritional value and biodiversity of the quinoa. It is something good for the eradication of the poverty and also the food security. It has got so many benefits to offer to the private sector actors like pharmaceutical industries, cosmetic industry and also food industry. It is something that is really good to use.
4. What is it?
Quinoa is the food which is actually staple food for the people who lives in Andes which belongs to South America. It is the one which is mainly grown in Bolivia as well as Peru. It is called pseudo cereal as it has got the shape of grain. It is also high in fat which makes it even called as pseudo oil seed. It is the food item with very higher nutritional value and is even called as golden grain in Andes.
5. Is it a cereal?
It is really not a cereal but the appearance may make it to be misunderstood like cereal. It is even called as pseudo cereal because of it’s appearance. High amount of fat content makes it called as pseudo oil seed too.
6. How it tastes?
Quinoa has got a very delicate taste which is usually called as earthy or nutty. It has got saponins it which are usually removed with the help of machines before that is sold. If that is not removed then it is rinsed off carefully before it is cooked so that the bitter taste can be removed. It has got really a good texture which can make any recipe very crunchy. There are quinoa seeds available in both sweet and bitter taste. It can be used for reflecting saponin content and is really much lower in the case of sweet varieties.
7. Amaranth and quinoa are same?
Amaranth and quinoa are not the same but they do belong to the same family and are originated from the place called amaranth which is in Latin American region.
8. Distinct properties
There are so many distinct properties related with quinoa. It is something which can easily adapt to the various climatic conditions. It is something which is known to grow in various ranges of temperature that is between the range from the -4 degree Celsius to the 35 degree Celsius. It is something that is available about 4000 m above the sea level. It is possible for having certain quinoa varieties to even grow when there are difficult situations. It is something which can tolerate drought and can even resist salinity. It can grow in both lowlands and also highlands. It can prove to be something versatile as the real climate smart crop.
Lower production costs
It is really environmental friendly and has got much better climate variability and also adaptability. It is much efficient to use the water for making it really an excellent alternative crop in the case of this condition where there is a huge change in climatic conditions. There are so many factors that contribute to the same but the climatic changes are really drastic.
Nutritional qualities
It is really the healthy food that has got so much of nutritional value in it. It is really much high in proteins which makes it much different from other pant products other than legumes. It has got good amount of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and also various other nutrients.
This is the crop that NASA has even include in the list of those crops which can be grown in space craft when they go for some very longer term space mission. It is the one which is much organic and family based. It has got the image of a super food and also elevated fair trade. It is really organic, fair trade and also gluten free. This is really a whole grain in terms of the benefits it offers. This is also the product that is supporting the farmers in making good amount of income especially in few years recently. It is really a good product that can be useful for you in various contexts so that you really get benefited out of the product in the way you want.
9. Nutrition
Quinoa is indeed highly nutritious food items which has got so much if nutrients in it. If you are consuming quinoa with some other food items, it can really give you a very balanced diet. It is possible to get the whole grain combined as well as boiled with various other food making one part of the meal like soup, drinks etc. It has got so much of protein compared to any other plant product. The amount of protein that it has got is less when compared to legumes. The amino acid contents that are there in quinoa is really much better compared to various different plant foods. Quinoa can be considered as better source of energy as well as dietary fiber. It really has got so much amount of zinc as well as iron.
Nutrient contents of quinoa and selected foods, per 100 grams dry weight
Learn more about nutrition.
10. How to consume?
Quinoa has got traditional as well as nontraditional benefits. It is the one which really leads to industrial innovation in the value-added form which is available commercially. It is possible for you to boil the whole grain and then combine that with various other kinds of food which are part of the meal that includes drinks pieces of bread, soup, etc. It can really blend well with so many various dishes and also provide them with a crunchy taste that makes you feel good about it.
11. Uses of quinoa other than eating
This is a superfood that we consider in the form of the best ones which can be used for providing you with a better kind of food. There are chances for you to even make use of the same for so many applications that you may not be so aware of. It is always good for you to explore anything in the best way possible for getting good results. The whole green forage is used as the best thing to feed the cattle. Most of the cattle love quinoa as a whole as it really tastes so good for them. Once when you do harvesting of quinoa it can leave behind so much of residues that can be used for feeding poultry, horses, pigs, sheep, and also cattle. This is the best way through which you can ensure that the animal feed is relay good or not.
Medicinal usage
Quinoa as a whole is really a superfood. It is possible for you to make use of the grains, stems, and also leaves of quinoa so that you get better healing for many of the conditions that you go through. Indigenous people who live in and use this for issues like any infection in the urinary tract, soothing the pain, reduce swells, heal wounds, and also even for many other medicinal needs.
Quinoa protein is the one that focuses on what is the food item which needs to be given in the way so that the supplements of animal nutrition and also humans can even be handled well. There are quite a lot of possibilities through which you can get the chances for better outcomes.
Quinoa starch has got better stabilities in the conditions like freeze-thaw. It can easily provide an alternative for the starches that are chemically modified. This is the kind of starch that has got the grains in a smaller size. This smaller sized grains make it much suitable to be used in various kinds of industries like the off-set powders, talc, plastic industry dessert food, self copy paper and also pulps and aerosol production. Along with the usage of the quinoa grain, the saponins that are there on pericarp can even have got abilities for using wit the usage in various forms. The saponins which are extracted out of the pericarp can easily form the foam that is present in the aqueous solution that can be used for applications like soaps, shampoos, detergents, and also toothpaste. Saponin even has got the ability for demonstrating the Bolivia in a successful way.
12. History and origin
As per the pieces of evidence left by the pat, days can be indicated on the domestication by people who live in America. The origin of quinoa happened between 2000 to 5000BC. It is even possible to find out archaeological discoveries made in the various toms including that in Africa, Calama, Tarapaca. Quinoa is developed well ad also huge cultivation in the place.
13. Quinoa and the places suitable
Quinoa needs to be cultivated in areas where the climate really suits well for the way it needs to grow. It is possible for you to have the highest production levels taking place in places like Ecuador Peru as well as Bolivia. Quinoa can be cultivated both on the sea level and also in the areas with higher altitude. There are chances for quinoa to come in various forms and also this can include the various things related with that, There are many forms in which you can get quinoa so that you can use that as per the altitude as well as climatic conditions of the place you are planning to cultivate the crop. This is the reason why this crop can be used for ensuring such a scenario where the food can be really confirmed and also can be used for eradicating poverty, There are so many countries that adapted with quinoa which include India, Kenya, Morocco US and also North America. It is something that can provide commercial spots for production. The production and also the possibility of the superfood to get much popular is growing well.
Geographic distribution of world quinoa production, the image created by FAO (Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
14. Total production in the world
Quinoa can actually be available in really big quantities. In the year of 2008, both Bolivia and Peru got accounted for producing 92 percent of that. It is indeed a huge part of the whole world protection. It is really possible to make use of quinoa and try to get that from such places where it is cultivated in a good amount. Bolivia and Peru are the areas that produce it on a very large scale. There are chances for production to even occur in places like Canada, Ecuador, and the US which can form the major part of the production of quinoa out of Bolivia and Peru.
Chart created by FAO
15. Land needed for growing quinoa
There is really much intense change in the way the quinoa production can be increased through about 3 decades. In the early stages of the beginning of the production of quinoa, it was cultivated only within 83000 hectares. This is something that was then done by the farmers so that they can make use of quinoa for their needs. It is something which everybody should know so that you can get food security well and also get nutrition improved. The United States and Canada are the places that are estimated to produce quinoa in the amount of much larger areas of the land outside the place Andes. It is necessary for you to ensure that quinoa is actually produced in a very good amount due to the advantages that it can offer you with.
Chart created by FAO
16. Types
There are quite a lot of Ecotypes for quinoa both in the cultivates way as well as wild. There are chances for all these varieties to actually been classified into 4 different kinds of the categories which actually can take care of the various areas in which it is produced.
Quinoa is something that you can even get in valleys. There are chances for the subtypes to even exist from dry valleys, There is no need for to find out how hot the girl is, Peru and Junin are the places which you can consider the ones which are really best for you. The annual rainfall the level of altitude are also things which you should know well. There are chances fr this to lead to the cultivation of quinoa in various valleys. When it has grown in highlands it has got a form and taste which is really different.
When it comes to the sea level and towards 500 mm of rain per year. It is possible to consider even this area for the purpose of cultivating this crop. There are also other ways to classify which can include things like the intended use, the origin, and also it can be divided into varieties like the commercial and improved quinoa. It can even be shown in the best way possible. It is possible to categorize this based on the shape and the size of the quinoa.
17. Quinoa and cultivation
When it comes to cultivating quinoa, you need to find out a specific area. It is necessary for knowing what kind of climate area has in-depth so that you can choose the kind which can be used in that space. There are so many kinds of varieties that are used and also can even be made used for routing. There are quite a lot of chances so that you can easily help you in a much better way. It is always good for you to all the testing on the place on which you want those to be carried out. You can choose based on the water in the best way possible.
18. How many kgs of seeds needed for planting
When you are actually putting the seeds in such a way that It can help you in getting any amount of the seeds as per the application that you can handle. There are chances for you to deal with that in the right way possible. It is possible for taking care of the various things so that you get what exactly can suit you well. There are chances for you to really make use of the seeds and also can make something between 160,000 plants. It can be easily be used so that you can use that for planting the whole hectare. Even after it is known about then also you should know to even understand those possibilities. For a hectare it may need about 1 to 2 kg per hectare.
19. Time for quinoa for growing
It is necessary for you to know when actually so that you can get what exactly you eat. There are chances for you to plant the quinoa seeds or the plants and also you can find it growing through 180 days from the 165. There are chances for you to even better support for the time you may need for the same.
20. Support for cultivation
It is really possible for you to find the best support that is available from governments if you are trying to found out such kinds of environments. The cultivation needs to be done with some amount to be invested in that. The governmental authorities do so that they can easily get the finest ones in them. There ate quite a lot of possibilities so that you can even get what the government offer and all that you need to do is to ensure that the cultivation is done effectively.
21. When and how to buy stationary
It is possible for you to find out the best way for buying all that you want. You need to know or decide whether you are able to deal with that in the right way possible.
There are so many ways through which you can ensure that the whole process so that you can buy the seeds with support and get that implemented. There are quite a lot of possibilities from it along with so much so that you get quinoa in abundance.
22. Which is the most successful type of quinoa today on the world’s market?
“Quinua real” group is the most popular type of quinoa sold in the world’s market. This export variety is mainly grown in the southern Bolivia highlands due to the richness of the soil. Many farmers often characterize it as a large size grain of a diameter of more than 2.2 mm. This organic quinoa has great demand in many countries of the world despite its wide range of variety with the major demand coming from Europe and America.
Many buyers across the world’s market prefer colored quinoa due to its numerous uses in both the food industry and agro-industry. However, the demand for colored quinoa has been increasing from the development of gastronomic potential in the world.
The FAO has recommended that for the ever-growing demand for colored quinoa to be satisfied in the world, future production has to be increased by focusing its aesthetic appearance. This should help improve its nutritional attributes thus enhancing global nutrition levels.
23. Which is the country that exports most of the quinoa to the world market?
Today, Bolivia is the leading exporter of quinoa to the world market followed by Ecuador and Peru. The following are the main importers of quinoa from Bolivia; France, Netherlands, United States, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Israel, and the UK. According to the statistics of FAO in the year 2010, it was estimated that the country exported about 15,000 MT of quinoa. Ecuador and Peru followed the country in export by minimal amounts.
24. How much does 1 tonne of quinoa cost?
Prices of quinoa may vary depending on the market demands or destinations, quality, and whether organic or not among many others. Nevertheless, the price often ranges from $ 3,000 to $3,500 per tonne according to FOB value. This price often increases from year to year according to the market fluctuations.
If you haven’t cooked with quinoa before, have a look at the post I wrote on [How to cook – master tips].
See also salad recipes.
Article prepared from the source: https://www.fao.org/
