Amaranth is the May Grain of the Month

The Whole Grains Council has declared amaranth to be the grain of the month of May. It is actually a pseudocereal, an edible seed from a plant that is not part of the grass family. Although its seeds can be ground into flour and cooked as a porridge, because it is not from the plant families that include wheat, rice and corn, amaranth is not a true cereal. It is still considered a grain, however.

Amaranth has a long history as a food. The Aztecs cultivated amaranth as a ceremonial crop and called it the “food of immortality.” Together with beans, chia and corn, amaranth was a main part of the diet of Mesoamerican Indian civilizations, until European conquerors deemed it pagan. It is mentioned in Aesop’s fables, in a discussion of the difference between ephemeral and everlasting beauty between a rose and an amaranth flower.

There are numerous forms of amaranth, and it is found on all continents. It is so common that many forms are considered weeds, although three species have been domesticated because they have large, easily harvested seed heads. Ornamental amaranth plants may have striking flowers of gold, red, or bright purple. It is a large plant, sometimes as tall as nine feet (two and three-quarter meters).

Amaranth is easy to cook. Add one cup dried amaranth seeds to two cups liquid. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, to make two and a half servings. Cooked amaranth can be used like polenta or porridge. The seeds can also be popped like popcorn or puffed for use in breakfast cereal and granola.

Cooked amaranth has a unique slightly peppery taste. It smells sweet and somewhat like grass. Amaranth seeds are a nutritionally complete plant food; they contain all nine essential amino acids and provide eight to nine grams of protein per cup. They are gluten-free.

You may need to look in a health food store to find amaranth seeds, but you won’t go wrong cooking and eating this excellent whole grain.