Quinoa may have originated in South America but the UK market has embraced it as its own. The British Quinoa Company is now growing a variety of the crop which is tolerant of UK climate. Celebrity support has helped fuel the crop to the limelight and is now regularly served in high street outlets like Nando's, Leon, Hilton, and O'Neills.
Additional proof of the crop's rising popularity is evident in the British Retail Consortium's research. The data shows that Quinoa is the third most searched food term on mobile devices just behind barbecue and Prosecco.
The health advantages of consuming quinoa have been highlighted in recent years. It is now a mainstream alternative to wheat, couscous, and rice. What many do not know is that quinoa is actually part of the beets, chard, and spinach family.
Quinoa is treated much in the same way as rice. Advocates also champion its high nutrition content which includes calcium, magnesium, manganese, B vitamins, and fiber.
The Daily Mail UK says that, "Cooked quinoa seeds become fluffy and creamy yet maintains a slight crunch. They have a delicate and subtly nutty flavour, and can be turned into flakes as a breakfast cereal, eaten in a salad for lunch or used like rice with an evening meal."
Much of the crop is grown without any pesticides and is certified as organic. This highly resistant crop that can take European weather was discovered by Stephen Jones from a university in the Netherlands. This variety is known as Atlas.
The Telegraph UK also quotes Jones as saying, "Because it is not necessary to remove the outer coating on our quinoa it retains more of the nutrients. Some quinoa can be bland, but our variety has a much nuttier pleasant flavour." He adds, "We had a lot of issues to overcome to find a quinoa that would thrive in our climate, but now we've cracked it."
