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What is quinoa?

By Elisa Bosley

Often called a whole grain, quinoa is actually a seed from the chard and beet family. Its recent resurgent popularity belies quinoa's long history as a staple crop for millennia in the Andes, especially Peru and Bolivia, where it's called "the mother grain." Most often white or golden, quinoa seeds also come in red and black.

Quinoa's health benefits are nearly miraculous. Gluten- and cholesterol-free, 1 cup of cooked quinoa provides 5 grams fiber and 8 grams protein, plus significant folate, magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, and vitamin E. It's especially lauded as a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids (including lysine, limited in many grains, and cysteine and methionine, lacking in some legumes).