What is Amaranth?

Amaranth is an herbal plant that has been used for many years in other countries and has been making a splash in recent years in the U.S. It has significant nutritious content and can be used in many tasty recipes in place of wheat or other grains. This plant can grow up to 7 feet tall (about 2.1 meters), although most plants are 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) or less. It has broad leaves and a flower head, with tiny seeds galore. The leaves come in many colors, including white, green, orange, pink, and red.

An amaranth plant can produce anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 seeds. It is remarkably adaptive. Each of the 60 species is able to withstand extreme temperatures and environmental conditions.

Amaranth grain has high fiber, calcium, and iron content. It has a relatively high concentration of other vitamins as well, including magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese, and a nearly complete set of amino acids, which you won’t find in many other grains. The leaves are a good source of nutrition as well, with high concentrations of vitamins A, B6, and C; riboflavin; and folate. Minerals found in the greens include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese.

One of the first known references to amaranth is in descriptions of the diets of the Aztec peoples, who used the plant as part of their human sacrifice ceremonies, and the Incas, who used it as a food staple. Because the conquering Spanish conquistadors forbade amaranth, the plant’s use dropped precipitously and stayed low for many years. The plant survived in indigenous cultures, however, and its use continues to grow.

In today’s cultures, Peruvian people use amaranth to make beer and to treat toothache and fevers; they also use it as food coloring for quinoa and maize. Mexican people use the plant in a traditional drink called atole. Indian people use it to make laddoo, which is similar to atole. Nepalese people crush the seeds to make a gruel called sattoo.

Farmers in a few American states now grow this plant, but it is still not found in the mainstream markets. You can, however, find it in natural food stores in many parts of the U.S. The gluten-free amaranth is often used in flours and in such flour-based goods as breads, pancakes, and pastas. In Mexico, also, it is mixed with chocolate or puffed rice to be sold as snacks.