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Crop

Quinoa

Cereals and Pseudocereals

Quinoa is a flowering plant in the amaranth family, grown as an annual crop chiefly for its protein-rich seeds; despite its cereal-like use, the source describes it as a pseudocereal rather than a true grass. It originated in the Andean region of northwestern South America, first used to feed livestock an estimated 5,200 to 7,000 years ago and eaten by people 3,000 to 4,000 years ago in the Lake Titicaca basin of Bolivia and Peru. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Scientific Name
Chenopodium quinoa 2
Crop Class
Cereal 2
Domestication Region
Andean region of northwestern South America (Lake Titicaca basin, Bolivia and Peru) 2
The atlas's crop-class enum has no separate pseudocereal value; classed as cereal for lack of a closer fit, though the source itself states quinoa is not a grass.
Domesticated When (Circa)
livestock feed circa 5,200 to 7,000 years ago; human consumption circa 3,000 to 4,000 years ago (Lake Titicaca basin) 2
Classification
Life Cycle
Annual 1
Primary Use
Food 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Quinoa (Wikipedia)
  • lead: a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop
  • lead: grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds
  • lead: first used to feed livestock 5,200-7,000 years ago
View the Source
2. Quinoa (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds
  • Lead section, scientific name
    Chenopodium quinoa
  • Lead section, classification
    It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds
  • Lead section, domestication region
    originated in the Andean region of northwestern South America
  • Lead section, domestication date
    It was first used to feed livestock 5,200-7,000 years ago, and for human consumption 3,000-4,000 years ago in the Lake Titicaca basin of Bolivia and Peru.
  • lead description or Wikipedia lead (life-cycle)
    Quinoa is a flowering plant in the amaranth family, grown as an annual crop chiefly for its protein-rich seeds; despite its cereal-like use, the source describes it as a pseudocereal rather than a true grass.
  • lead description or Wikipedia lead (primary-uses)
    It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are high in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and dietary minerals especially potassium and magnesium in amounts greater than in many grains.
View the Source
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