Envoy at 12:11, 17 July 2007

2007-07-17T12:11:06Z

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[[Amaranth]] has been cultivated as a grain for [[6th millennium BC|8,000 years]]. <ref name="echo">{{cite web
| url=http://www.echotech.org/technical/technotes/amaranth.PDF
| title=Amaranth: Grain & Vegetable Types
| author=G. Kelly O'Brien and Martin L. Price
| publisher=ECHO Technical Note
| year=1983
}}</ref>
The yield of grain amaranth is comparable to [[rice]] or [[maize]]. It was a [[staple food]] of the [[Aztec]]s, and was used as an integral part of [[Aztec]] religious ceremonies. Its [[cultivation]] was banned by the [[conquistadores]] in [[1516]]. Because the plant has continued to grow as a [[weed]] since that time, its [[Genetics|genetic]] base has been largely maintained. Research on grain amaranth began in the [[United States|US]] in the [[1970s]]. By the end of the [[1970s]], a few thousand acres were being cultivated.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.jeffersoninstitute.org/pubs/amaranth.shtml
| title=Grain Amaranth: A Lost Crop of the Incas
| author=Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute
}} ([http://www.jeffersoninstitute.org/pubs/amaranth_guide.pdf PDF version] also available)
</ref> Much of the grain currently grown is sold in [[health food]] shops.

Grain amaranth is also grown as a food crop in limited amounts in [[Mexico]], where it is used to make a [[candy]] called [[Alegria (candy)|alegría]] ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: "happiness") at [[festival]] times. The grains are popped, and mixed with honey.

Amaranth grain can also be used to extract [[amaranth oil]] - a particularly valued [[Vegetable fats and oils|pressed seed oil]] with many commercial uses.

==Nutritional analysis==
[[Image:Amaranth und WW.jpg|thumb|Amaranth grain (left) and wheat (right)]]

As the following table shows, grain amaranth is particularly nutritious.<ref>{{cite book
| title=Amaranth: from the Past, for the Future
| author=J.N. Cole
| publisher=Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA
| year=1979
}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Component !! Amount
|-
| [[Moisture]] || 9.0 g
|-
| [[Protein]] || 15.0 g
|-
| [[Fat]] || 7.0 g
|-
| Total [[carbohydrates]] || 63.0 g
|-
| [[Fiber]] || 2.9 g
|-
| [[Calories]] || 391
|-
| [[Phosphorus]] || 477 mg
|-
| [[Riboflavin]] || 0.32 mg
|-
| [[Niacin]] || 1.0 mg
|-
| [[Ascorbic acid]] (Vitamin C) || 3.0 mg
|-
| [[Thiamin]] (Vitamin B1) || 0.14 mg
|-
| [[Ash (analytical chemistry)|Ash]] || 2.6 g
|-
| [[Calcium]] || 490 mg
|}

Notable nutritional attributes of amaranth grain include:-
* The [[protein]], which is of an unusually high quality, according to ECHO.<ref name="echo"/>
* A ¼ cup of amaranth grain supplies 60% of the [[Recommended Dietary Allowance]] of [[iron]]. <ref name="organicharvest">{{cite web
| url=http://www.organicharvest.com/pdf/amaranth.pdf
| title=Certified Organic Amaranth Typical Quality Analysis
| publisher=American Health & Nutrition
}}
</ref>
* Amaranth grain is free of [[gluten]], which is important for people with gluten allergies.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Grains]]
[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]

Amaranth grain - Revision history

Envoy at 12:11, 17 July 2007