Well, there is the problem that the US’s sudden appetite for Keen lateef-Wah is making it unaffordable for the Bolivian population for whom it’s a staple. Eat up, healthy foodies… there are people starving in Bolivia.
Yeah, it (along with kale) has become the darling of the restaurant scene. For diabetics like me, though, it’s a good alternative to rice.
Yes, because if capitalism teaches us anything, it’s that if a crop becomes popular, no one will plant more of it, and the country exporting it won’t become slightly more prosperous.
Sure, eventually that happens but during the initial phase where popularity rises but you’re waiting for increased crop those on the bottom - the poor - lose out.
I’m getting really tired of people pretending that capitalism is all sunshine and butterflies. There are losers under capitalism and the poor are at a disadvantage. Anytime a resource or product gets scare only the wealthy have access which, if we’re talking about luxury yachts, is fine but if you’re talking about necessities like food it means real suffering.
I have heard, over the years, very reliable NPR level sources state both sides of the situation. Some say buying quinoa is good for the locals, others say it’s bad.
I cook it like I would rice… add chopped apple and brown sugar and YUMMMMMM as I hate the taste and texture of oatmeal… this is a yummy nutty substitute. I am so not a healthy eater and would rather fruity pebbles in the morning but as we all know about getting older …
Try this recipe:
Indian-Spiced Quinoa
Olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1.5 cups quinoa, rinsed
1/2 tsp of ground cardamom and ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne
3 cups hot chicken or veggie broth
S&P
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp minced parsley
Heat the oil, saute the shallots and ginger about a minute. Add the quinoa and spices and stir to coat. Stir in hot broth, bring to boil, reduce heat and cook for 12-15 minutes. Add raisins and pine nuts and parsley. Good stuff.
These recipes remind me of the old one for carp (and these days, tilapia) - nail the fish to a board, season the hell out of everything with your strongest spices and herbs, bake, throw fish away, eat board.
We seem to have an increasing number of popular but tasteless and/or ill-textured foods whose most successful recipes depend on disguising the base food as much as possible.
It’s funny: a fairly nasty “super-food” from the jungles of South America is sought out, but perfectly good foods of high nutrition, low cost and often much lower carbon/ecological cost are spurned because “they’re just bland goo.”
A board’s a board, I think.
I made and enjoyed this pilaf, and yet still have not purchased any more quinoa. I must use up my barley and rice supplies first.
Chefguy’s recipe sounds delicious.
Good for the farmers and sellers. Bad for the population that’s lived on it for generations - it’s in short supply and much more expensive than it used to be.
But as long as it’s good for those making money from it, all is well. Right?
It’ll take off right after Monsanto GMOs and patents it so it can only grow with more Monsanto chemicals.
I remember it being rather bland, too, but it’s been a while. And I say kuh-noh-uh, because I figure, if they wanted the original Spanish pronunciations, it should have been left spelled “quinua.”
You forgot the part where every chain restaurant in the US adds it to their menu because.
What are the “perfectly good foods” to which you refer? Are they actually as good as or better than quinoa nutritionally?
Allowing that “fairly nasty” is subjective, this is a fairly high bar to hurdle.
Three quinoa cooking tips:
(1) You MUST rinse it well in a fine sieve before cooking. The grains have a slightly bitter coating that must be removed. I think Bob’s Red Mill brand is pre-rinsed, but I haven’t seen any around here.
(2) Once it’s rinsed and well-drained, toast it dry in a heated pan for a few minutes. This gives it a nice nutty flavor.
(3) As others have said, cook it in broth for much better results.
I love quinoa.
Well, I certainly hope you’re not buying things like pineapple, coffee, bananas and other things from South/Central American countries; cuz, you know, people.
We tried it toasted, and it was simply awful. I’ve been leery of trying it again prepared another way.
Ah ! Perhaps that’s where I went wrong. I’ll try quinoa again, and rinse it this time.
I loathe quinoa. Horrible stuff. If it appears in a dish, I won’t touch it. Come back when you are a real cereal.
It’s bird seed.