Amaranth: New World Treasure

Filed in archive Latin Food on April 15, 2008

© Chuuken Hachigou

Lately I've been missing street vendors. You just don't see many of them where I live these days. One of the treats I like to buy when I'm in Mexico are alegrias. They're amaranth and honey snacks.





They come in different shapes and often have other seeds embedded. The round ones look sort of like rice cakes, but amaranth seeds are much smaller than puffed rice. And they're better for you.

In fact, amaranth is possibly one of the healthiest edible items out there. So, alegrías are exactly the sort of junk food to have.

Beyond gnawshing amaranth sweets, you can get bulk grains and add them to just about anything, including cereal, fruit plates, smoothies, bread mixes, and all manner of stews. Or you can prepare it like rice and have it as a side dish.

In Mexico amaranth is valued as a grain high in dietary fiber with a lot of protein, and a ton of iron. And it's gluten free. Have you tried it?