Quinoa: Andean Grain Technique

Quinoa has been cultivated in the Andes for 5,000–7,000 years. It was the primary grain of the Inca Empire — along with kiwicha (amaranth) and cañihua — and was suppressed during the Spanish colonial period as the Spanish replaced it with European grains. Its revival is both culinary and cultural — Acurio's book treats quinoa's presence in contemporary Peruvian cooking as a reclamation as much as a technique.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) — technically a seed but used as a grain — is the most nutritionally complete food in the Andean tradition and the most misunderstood ingredient in contemporary cooking. The bitter saponin coating on raw quinoa must be removed before cooking; the cooking method determines texture from firm-separated to creamy-porridge; and the specific quinoa variety (white, red, black, or heritage Andean varieties) produces different flavour profiles and texture outcomes.

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