Quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat are the best known representatives of the so-called pseudocereals, because they form starchy grains similar to cereals. Their seeds can be processed like cereal grains, so they can be eaten as a side dish like rice, for example. They can also be used for baking bread, but only together with wheat, rye or spelt flour, because they lack gluten, a gluten protein that is important for loosening dough. However, this makes the pseudocereals interesting for patients with celiac disease. Similar to quinoa, amaranth is characterized by a high content of proteins, minerals, vitamins and fiber. The biological value of the proteins in amaranth even exceeds that of milk.
Undemanding buckwheat
Buckwheat is popular today, especially in whole-food cuisine. It belongs to the knotweed family and has a nutty flavor. It is processed into groats, semolina or as flour for savory pancakes and flatbreads, in addition to serving as an ingredient in soups or as an ingredient in fried foods.
Buckwheat: cultivation in the bog
How buckwheat arrived in Central Europe from Central Asia in the 14th century cannot be proven exactly, but that it quickly established itself as a frugal plant is documented by numerous village chronicles, especially from northern Germany. The poor farmers could not easily cultivate the high moor because the soil was poor in nutrients and acidic. The predominant means of preparing the moor soil was “fire cultivation”. In spring, the farmers set fire to the drained surfaces, which were usually overgrown with heather. In the still warm ashes they sowed buckwheat. Buckwheat thrives as one of the few cereals on acidic moorland soil. It ripens in just ten to twelve weeks. But the arable land in fire culture was only usable for about six years, after which the soil was depleted and could only be cultivated again after 30 years.
Amaranth and quinoa as a source of strength
Natural food manufacturers brought quinoa and amaranth to the German market, the “miracle grain from the Andes” is becoming increasingly popular. As one of the oldest useful plants of mankind, amaranth belongs to the foxtail family. Thousands of years ago, it served as a staple food in South America and was also an offering to gods. For a long time, the amaranth plant was considered sacred. Incas and Aztecs believed they had found in it the source of great power. But then came the Spanish conquistadors: under their rule, cultivation was banned, fields were destroyed, because the indigenous people were to be deprived of their source of energy.
Amaranth provides important ingredients
Amaranth is rich in vitamins B.
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and B
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and in minerals. In calcium, magnesium and iron, it is the leader among cereals, and in potassium it occupies second place. Finally, it has greater amounts of unsaturated fatty acids.
Quinoa: nutty pseudo-cereal.
The goosefoot crop quinoa (pronounced like “kienwa”) is also called “Inca wheat”: it provides high-quality protein and contains a lot of iron, zinc and magnesium, as well as a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids. Among allergy sufferers, it is considered an alternative to conventional grains. The pearl-shaped, tiny, light-yellow grains taste slightly nutty. At 15 percent, they contain significantly more protein than domestic grains, including many essential amino acids such as lysine, tryptophan and cystine. In addition, the grains are gluten-free. Therefore, they are suitable for people who suffer from celiac disease or sprue, i.e. allergic to the protein gluten in wheat, rye and other grains.
Dangerous ingredients in pseudocereals
The Research Institute of Child Nutrition in Dortmund, Germany, points out some dangerous properties in pseudocereals. What many don’t know: Amaranth – and millet, for that matter – contain certain tannins that are responsible for making it more difficult for the human organism to absorb vitamins and minerals. In addition, they inhibit digestive enzymes and make it more difficult to utilize protein from food. In buckwheat, the red pigment from the fruit peel (“fagopyrin”) is problematic: if you eat it with your food, your skin becomes more sensitive to sunlight – this is no longer the case with hulled buckwheat.
Saponins in quinoa can be harmful
Quinoa protects itself from pests with bitter-tasting saponins found in the seed coat. Saponins can damage blood cells and irritate the intestinal mucosa.This allows harmful substances and allergens to pass through the intestinal wall into the blood. In young children, the digestive system is not yet fully developed , so the saponins are particularly problematic for them. However, in the case of intestinal inflammation, they can also be dangerous for adults: in some circumstances, they enter the blood, destroy red blood cells and damage the liver.
Is quinoa harmful to health?
Ökotest magazine writes: “Commercially available quinoa is washed or peeled and thus debittered. Whether and how many saponins survive this procedure, however, is not known. Anyone who heats quinoa can thus render harmless about one-third of the saponins that may remain.” The German Nutrition Society (DGE) generally advises against quinoa foods for children under two years of age. Despite cleaning, it cannot be ruled out that the saponins “are still present in traces.” For older children and for adults, however, the restrictions do not apply. Still, quinoa should be washed under running water.