5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT QUINOA

1. Quinoa has a funny pronunciation
It is not called kie-noo-a; the correct pronunciation is ‘keen-wah’.

2. Quinoa is a complete protein
This means that it contains all nine of the essential amino acids, which cannot be made by the body and therefore must come from food. Not only does quinoa make vegetarians happy, it also makes nutritionists happy because it is a good source of iron, fibre magnesium and B-vitamins.

3. Quinoa isn’t a grain at all
Although we often eat quinoa as a grain or carb replacement, it is not a grain at all. In fact it’s a relative of a protein-rich plant family that includes beets and spinach and the part we eat is the seed.

4. Quinoa needs a rinse
The quinoa crop protects itself from predators with a waxy, bitter-tasting coat of saponins, an organic chemical compound. And although most packaged quinoa today is rinsed it’s probably still a good idea to repeat the rinse before enjoying, just to be safe.

5. Quinoa is delicious and readily available
We do love the fact that this ‘good for you’ food is also super delicious and readily available in leading supermarkets. Our quinoa of choice is Tipiak Gourmand Quinoa; versatile enough to be included on breakfast, lunch and dinner menus; it can also be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge so you simply need to add the toppings!

Stafford Bros and Draeger are the exclusive South African importers of the Tipiak range of best quality fragrant quinoa and couscous options as delicious cold as they are hot.