If this term has not yet been part of your repertoire, this should change quickly. It is a valuable type of grain that can be used in many different ways.

Quinoa, which is widely used in South America, is still very little known here. In Inca times, it was the main ingredient in the cuisine of the Andean peoples until it was replaced by maize and potatoes, which the conquerors brought with them from Europe.


Quinoa is not a grain in the strictest sense, as it is the fruit of a large-leaved plant that belongs to the same family as spinach, beetroot and chard. Its leaves can therefore also be used as a cooked vegetable.

The small, round grain, which looks something like a millet grain, is available lightly roasted, natural or in puffed form. It is easy to sprout and its flavour and consistency is reminiscent of wholegrain rice or couscous. Quinoa contains many valuable proteins, carbohydrates, all essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, as well as many unsaturated fatty acids, in particular linoleic oil, which combats bad cholesterol in the blood.

Quinoa is mainly available in organic food shops and can be used as an ingredient in muesli, for example, or added to soups and vegetable dishes when swollen.

If you want to cook quinoa, you must first rinse the grains well with hot water to remove the bitter substances that adhere to the husk. Now you can cook the quinoa like rice, with three parts water to one part grains, and leave to simmer for approx. 15-20 minutes. Salt is best added when the dish is ready.

To intensify the flavour, you can roast the grains a little in a pan before cooking, which gives them a slightly nutty taste.