The plant known as amaranth is a highly nutritious one which has been in existence for many years. The amaranth plant was a staple back in the days of pre-Columbian Aztecs. In those days many people believed that it had powers and due to this it was always present in all of the religious ceremonies and this led to its near extinction. It was also these traditional days that the seed of this plant was mixed with human blood or honey so that it could be eaten in various ceremonies. The amaranth used to be shaped into idols before they could be eaten and this led to the plants association to the human sacrifices to be banned.
This plant was mainly used in some parts of Spain before its near extinction, very few people were left to cultivate it, and this was mainly in the Andes and the Mexico regions. This plant can be found in the everyday guide of several countries and this will include Peru where people used its seeds to brew their local beer. The plant's flowers were also used as remedy to various illnesses that included toothaches and fever. Amaranth can also be used for coloring other foods such as quinoa and maize. Other uses of Amaranth include face painting. Cooking amaranth requires you to use a specific method of which there are several available.
The basic steps of preparing amaranth will need to be followed to the latter. It is important for people to be familiar with how to cook amaranth and this will require you to be in possession of several things and this will include a saucepan, 1 ? cups of water for every ? cup of amaranth as well as salt to taste. The water and the amaranth should be put in the saucepan and wait until the water boils. The next step will be to add salt to taste and then reduce the heat, which will then be followed by simmering which should take about half an hour. The saucepan should then be covered and cooked in low heat.
After all the water has been absorbed you should then turn off the heat and let them cool before serving them. You can add more salt if you need to at this stage as well. You can also choose to mix your amaranth with other tiny grains and here you can use teff as well as quinoa. You should make sure you cook these grains separately and be sure to follow the instructions in their specific packages. When you choose to use quinoa you should ensure they are rinsed thoroughly before you start cooking.
Amaranth can be purchased in various food stores and it is cooked as a replacement of other dishes such as pasta, rice, quinoa as well as couscous. Amaranth is usually smaller than quinoa but contains twice as much calcium as cow's milk and also has 3 times more fiber than wheat. This plant is also high in protein and it is much easier to digest than any animal protein. This plant contains healthy fatty acids and this means that they will have to be stored in tightly sealed containers like glass jars in refrigerators. Amaranth can be sprouted, stir fried, roasted, used to make porridge, used as flour as well as make popcorn stacks among other uses.
Author Resource:
This article touched the basics of the topic. I have 2 more resources related to the above. They are how to cook amaranth and at my blog at Everyday Guide . Do consider reading them.
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