Just as quinoa was a sacred “mother grain” to the Incas, so amaranth was to the Aztecs. How super is it? A tiny, fast-cooking grain that doesn’t require soaking, amaranth is gluten free, contains more essential amino acids than any other plant source (lysine in particular), has been shown in lab tests to reduce cholesterol, is second only to quinoa as a plant-based iron source, is reportedly the only grain to include vitamin C and is remarkably high in protein.
The Whole Grains Council, citing a 1993 study by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama at Guatemala, wrote that, “Using cheese protein as a reference, researchers concluded that the protein in amaranth ‘is among the highest in nutritive quality of vegetable origin and close to those of animal origin products.’”
Amaranth starts out as a dramatic, purple-red flowering plant with also highly nutritious edible greens that are known by a variety of names around the world. (Instantly conjuring Bill Cosby for most everyone of a certain age, the Jamaicans call it callaloo.) Once the flower is dried, the yellow-white, pinhead-sized seeds simply shake out with no husk or casing to remove. They can be ground into flour, used as-is — cooked as a breakfast cereal or added to soups as a thickener — or popped, without any oil, into adorably miniature popcorn.
In the vein of Rice Krispie Treats, a popular Mexican street food called alegria, or happy, folds together popped amaranth and honey with nuts, pumpkin seeds, chocolate bits, sea salt or whatever a chef is inclined to.
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