Claim: Quinoa is a herbaceous plant that completes its entire life cycle in one year.

Quinoa -LRB- -LSB- ˈkiːnwɑː -RSB- or -LSB- kɪˈnoʊ.ə -RSB- , from Quechua kinwa or kinuwa -RRB- is the common name for Chenopodium quinoa , a flowering plant in the amaranth family Amaranthaceae . It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a grain crop primarily for its edible seeds . Because it is not a grass , it is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal . Quinoa is closely related to the edible plants beetroot , spinach , and amaranth -LRB- Amaranthus spp . -RRB- , another pseudocereal which it closely resembles .   After harvest , the seeds are processed to remove the outer coating that contains bitter-tasting saponins . They are gluten-free . Generally , the seeds are cooked the same way as rice and can be used in a wide range of dishes . The leaves are sometimes eaten as a leaf vegetable , much like amaranth , but commercial availability of quinoa greens is limited .   When cooked , the nutrient composition is comparable to common cereals like wheat and rice , supplying a moderate amount of dietary fiber and minerals . The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations declared 2013 to be the `` International Year of Quinoa '' .   Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Peru , Bolivia , Ecuador , Colombia and Chile , and was domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago for human consumption in the Lake Titicaca basin of Peru and Bolivia , though archaeological evidence shows a non-domesticated association with pastoral herding 5,200 to 7,000 years ago .