Amaranth grain

Species belonging to the genusAmaranthushave been cultivated for theirgrainsfor 8,000 years.Amaranthplants are classified aspseudocerealsthat are grown for their edible starchy seeds, but they are not in the samebotanical familyas truecereals, such aswheatandrice.Amaranth species that are still used as a grain areAmaranthus caudatusL.,Amaranthus cruentusL., andAmaranthus hypochondriacusL.The yield ofgrain amaranthis comparable to that ofriceormaize.
The grain was astaple foodof theAztecsand an integral part ofAztec religious ceremonies. Thecultivationof amaranth was banned by theconquistadoresupon their conquest of the Aztec nation. However, the plant has grown as aweedsince then, so itsgeneticbase has been largely maintained.Researchon grain amaranth began in the United States in the 1970s. By the end of the 1970s, a few thousand acres were being cultivated there, and continue to be cultivated.
Much of the amaranth grain currently grown is sold inhealth food shops. Grain amaranth is also grown as afood cropin limited areas of Mexico, where it is used to make acandycalledalegría(Spanishforjoy) atfestivaltimes. In other preparations, the grain can bepopped like popcornand then either mixed with honey, or served with milk, dried fruit and nuts like a coldbreakfast cereal. Amaranth grain can also be used to extractamaranth oil, apressed seed oilwith commercial uses.
Raw amaranth grain is inedible to humans and cannot be digested because it blocks the absorption of nutrients.Thus it has to be prepared and cooked like other grains. In a100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) amount, cooked amaranth provides 430 kilojoules (103 kilocalories) offood energyand is a moderately rich source ofdietary minerals, includingphosphorus,manganese, andiron. Cooked amaranth is 75% water, 19%carbohydrates, 4%protein, and 2%fat(table).
According toEducational Concerns for Hunger Organization(ECHO), amaranth leaves are nutritious, and "amounts of
vitamin C, iron, beta carotene, calcium, folic acid and protein are especially high," however, amaranth leaves containanti-nutritional factors, includingoxalates,nitrates,saponins, andphenolic compounds.Cooking methods such as boiling the leaves in water and then discarding the water may reduce toxic effects. The report also cites a studyindicating that "research has shown that consumption of 200 grams of cooked amaranth poses no health problems."
Amaranth grain is high in protein andlysine, anamino acidfound in low quantities in other grains.According to theFAO, amaranth grain as a source of protein is "superior in content and quality to traditional cereals".Amaranth grain is deficient in essential amino acids such asleucineandthreonine– both of which are present in wheat germ.Amaranth grain is free ofgluten, which makes it a viable grain for people withgluten intolerance.
The table below presents nutritional values of cooked, edible form of amaranth grain to cooked, edible form of wheat grain.
There are about 75 species in the genusAmaranthus.Many species of amaranth grain are hardy plants, showing resistance to changes in pH, salt content, environment, temperature, and drought.Amaranth grains have genetic diversity and adaptive ability.
Some examples of Amaranth species areAmaranthus albus, Amaranthus blitoides, Amaranthus hybridus, Amaranthus palmeri, Amaranthus powellii, Amaranthus retroflexus, Amaranthus spinosus, Amaranthus tuberculatus,andAmaranthus viridis.Amaranthus retroflexus,"pigweed", is a wild amaranth species native to theUnited Statesand is considered a weed in the Northeast, Nebraska and Great Plains, South, and West.The name derives from the plant's tendency to sprout where hogs are pasture-fed. Although both its leaves and its seeds are edible, pigweed amaranth has not been cultivated as a food crop.
TheAztecscultivated amaranth as a staple grain crop in what is now Mexico during thepre-Columbianperiod.Amaranth was used by the Aztecs fortamales,tortillas, andatole(hot cereal).In addition they formed shaped images of their gods with amaranth, agave, and maize during the sacred month ofHuitzilopochtli.At the end of the month, the statues were eaten by the families to "take the god into them".When the Spanish prohibited religious acts like this, and imposed the religion of their God who was worshiped through wheat, amaranth cultivation decreased.In current Mexican culture on theDay of the Dead, amaranth seeds are offered assnack foodsfor the spirits.Edible skulls were historically made with amaranth seeds, although today they are made out of sugar.