# Quinoa! What is it good for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565 "2014-07-19T22:47:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/21 "2014-07-21T01:53:32Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Quinoa… the tilapia of grain. Another food that tastes just great… if you mix it up enough with salty, oily, fishy, garlicky stuff. How would you prepare pasta? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/22 "2014-07-21T02:40:48Z")
Good pasta tastes fine on its own and does not need to be drowned in flavor-producing (or -masking) compounds. Ditto for good fish. The world is full of tasteless or nasty-tasting stuff that’s edible when saturated with fats, salt, garlic or other powerful flavors. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/23 "2014-07-21T03:09:22Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Good pasta tastes fine on its own… Nothing? No oil? No butter? No cheese? To each his own, but plain pasta is much blander than plain quinoa. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/24 "2014-07-21T14:05:51Z")
My wife makes an Asian style Quinoa dish with soy sauce, green onions, water chestnuts and grilled chicken. Tastes quite good and it’s actually very filling. And to further another poster’s point - it’s incredibly high in protein. Vegans like it for the protein source it provides. I’m not Vegan, but Quinoa is a healthy alternative to white rice. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/25 "2014-07-21T14:18:00Z")
I thought it gained in popularity recently because it’s gluten-free. And, you know, every second person on the planet is allergic to gluten now. It doesn’t taste like anything, but it’s fine if you mix in the right amount of other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![orderfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orderfire/32/10908_2.png) [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/26 "2014-07-21T14:32:45Z")
I have been adding a spoonful or two of cooked quinoa to fresh tomato soup with lots of herbs and garlic…adds a really nice texture. I’ll also second the salad concept, and be sure to season the hell out of it because, yup, it basically tastes like nothing. My go-to is a curry-lime vinaigrette, quinoa, snap peas, diced mango, cucumber, green onion and some kind of nuts. I find the red quinoa more appetizing than the white stuff, which looks to me like some sort of half-hatched insect larvae. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/27 "2014-07-21T14:46:16Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Nothing? No oil? No butter? No cheese? > > To each his own, but plain pasta is much blander than plain quinoa. No, I didn’t mean nothing at all, but good pasta is quite tasty with just a toss of butter or a minimal amount of sauce. Tilapia is a nearly tasteless former trash fish that has only the taste of whatever’s put on it, so restaurants and home menus tend to gob on the crust, rub, sauce whatever and then rave about how good it tastes. Quinoa is unpleasant to eat plain and every recipe I see someone raving about - here and in every other discussion - reminds me of the recipe for carp: nail fish to a board, spice and sauce liberally, bake for an hour, throw away the fish and eat the board. The grain becomes an additive to the sauce, not vice versa. I take my brother’s very experienced opinion as the gold standard. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/28 "2014-07-21T18:26:52Z")
My girlfriend makes a spicy quinoa burger. No meat, just quinoa, spices, corn and black beans mixture made into a patty. She bakes it first, then pan fries it. It is surprisingly good. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/29 "2014-07-21T19:43:43Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > My girlfriend makes a spicy quinoa burger. No meat, just quinoa, spices, corn and black beans mixture made into a patty. She bakes it first, then pan fries it. > > It is surprisingly good. Quinoa again sounds like a filler or additive more than a primary ingredient here. Between corn, beans, spices and the flavors created by oil and frying… I can’t see that Q adds much besides body. Which isn’t meant to be a slap at the stuff - it clearly has dietary pluses. But between being inedibly tasteless without gobs of ketchup and the demand here taking it out the diets of those for whom it’s a traditional staple, it seems like it’s time for the food faddists to move on. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/30 "2014-07-21T20:50:39Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Quinoa again sounds like a filler or additive more than a primary ingredient here. Between corn, beans, spices and the flavors created by oil and frying… I can’t see that Q adds much besides body. > > Which isn’t meant to be a slap at the stuff - it clearly has dietary pluses. But between being inedibly tasteless without gobs of ketchup and the demand here taking it out the diets of those for whom it’s a traditional staple, it seems like it’s time for the food faddists to move on. 🙂 I actually like the taste - compared to white rice or potatoes or cous cous it’s not “inedibly tasteless.” It has a nice nutty flavor and a fluffy texture that’s unlike the other starches you mention. They all have their place. I actually had quinoa with Thai coconut-fish curry last night instead of rice, it tasted great. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/31 "2014-07-21T21:50:33Z")
I don’t care for it much by itself. It has this bitter, nutty flavor that I don’t like. I have had it mixed with other stuff, and it seemed OK then. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/32 "2014-07-21T21:57:26Z")
I keep a sack in the trunk for traction in icy conditions. Works just like kitty litter, but it tastes worse. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/33 "2014-07-21T22:30:19Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Yes, and that was a head-scratching moment, as I stood there wondering how the hell I was going to drain the water out of those tiny, tiny grains. But a plate over the bowl worked well. I simmer it in just enough liquid that it absorbs everything (or, with the lid off, the excess is allowed to evaporate and concentrate down). Never in water; always in broth. Add finely chopped carrots, celery, onions, and garlic, and they’ll all simmer together and should be finished at around the same time. A healthy shake of red pepper flakes helps, too, as does a swirl of olive oil over the whole thing before serving. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/34 "2014-07-21T23:14:29Z")
Related thread awhile ago. [Tried some quinoa “keenwa” grain as rice substitute. It was OK but nothing special.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=718618&highlight=keenwa) It’s very neutral and fairly expensive. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/35 "2014-07-23T14:47:49Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I keep a sack in the trunk for traction in icy conditions. Works just like kitty litter, but it tastes worse. How is it that you know what kitty litter tastes like? Inquiring minds want to know…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565/36 "2014-07-23T17:29:50Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I, like all of you, I’m sure, am constantly inundated with quinoa propaganda. It’s quinoa this, quinoa that, all quinoa, all the time. Or so it seems. It was the same with kale there for a while, so I tried that- I liked it. What **IS** it with Kale?😕 Quinoa is high in protein and lacks gluten, which is way overblown. What _is_ it with the gluten?:dubious: Some dudes think here are health benefits to gluten-free diets for the general population, but there are no published experimental evidence to support such claims. Less than 1 person in 100 should avoid gluten. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quinoa-what-is-it-good-for/693565.md?page=1)