Amaranth today is considered a “Supergrain” but it's technically not a grain. It’s really an annual herb that grows like a weed. The history of Amaranth is pretty cool. “The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods” by Michael Murray N.D. says:
“Originating in what is now Central and South America, amaranth’s history began as a staple in the diets of pre-Columbian Aztecs, who believed the plant was endowed with supernatural powers and would give them amazing strength. Because of this belief, amaranth was one of the primary foods eaten by Aztec royalty and was incorporated into Aztec religious rituals…”
One of the religious rituals where they used amaranth was human sacrifice. The blood of a human was mixed with cooked amaranth and made into a paste; which was then used for religious ceremonies. In the 1500’s, with the Spanish conquest, every amaranth plant was destroyed because Spaniards were horrified by this behavior. The plants were burned and the Aztecs were not allowed to grow or posses Amaranth. If an Aztec was caught with an amaranth plant, then their hand was cut off. Because of this, amaranth was almost lost forever. It was still grown in some remote areas, so that is why we even have it to eat today.
It would have been sad if we had lost it forever. The nutritional benefits of amaranth are nothing short of amazing. It has an amazingly high protein content, which includes the amino acids lysine and methionine, which other grains lack. So, if you combine amaranth with rice, corn, barley, or wheat then a complete protein is made available. Plus, amaranth protein is well absorbed. Besides protein, amaranth is high in fiber, it contains essential fatty-acids, vitamin C, B2, B3,B5, B6, folic acid, and the minerals calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Amaranth also contains phytosterols that have recently been studied and shown to prevent chronic degenerative disease. It has always shown to lower LDL cholesterol.
Amaranth is gluten-free and can be used in combination with other gluten free grains to produce very nutritious bread. Here is a link to a recipe:
Other ideas for incorporating Amaranth into your diet:
*Add to soups or stews and it will act as a thickener
*Eat it instead of oatmeal in the morning. Add some maple syrup, honey, raisins, or nuts.
*Pop it like popcorn (put in a covered pan, constantly moving pan around so the seeds don’t burn, (they will pop like pop corn) add honey and it’s a nutritious snack for kids. Or a kid at heart, like me!
*Pop it and eat it like a cereal in milk, add honey if you want.
*Pop it and put it into your favorite granola mix
*Cook and eat it as a side dish. Spice to taste.
Amaranth should always be cooked before eaten. If it’s not cooked, it will interfere with the absorption of other nutrients.
If you store amaranth seeds in an air-tight container, in a cool and dark place, then the seeds will keep for up to a year. But once the seeds are ground into flour, because of the fatty oils, the flour will go rancid quickly.
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