Amaranth
Amaranth
(Amaranthus)
has a
colorful history, is highly nutritious, and the plant itself
is extremely attractive and useful. Amaranth was a staple in
the diets of pre-Columbian Aztecs, who believed it had
supernatural powers and incorporated it into their religious
ceremonies.
 Synonyms
such as "mystical grains of the Aztecs," "super grain of the
Aztecs," and the "golden grain of the Gods" were used to
describe the nutritious amaranth grain. The grain was
noted to be nourishing to infants and to provide energy
and strength to soldiers on extended trips. Before the
Spanish conquest in 1519, Amaranth was used in several Aztec
ceremonies, where images of their gods were made with
Amaranth mixed with honey. The images were cut to be eaten
by the people. This looked like the Christian communion to
the catholic priests, so the cultivation of this seed was
forbidden for centuries. Every crop of Amaranth that could
be found was burned. Punishment for possession of the grain
became so harsh that even having one seed was punished by
chopping off the hands. Amaranth quickly became a ‘lost’
seed for many generations. Presently, Amaranth is grown in
Mexico, Peru and Nepal as well as in the United States. The
grain was forbidden by the Spanish, and consequently fell
into obscurity for hundreds of years. If not for the fact
that the cultivation of amaranth continued in a few remote
areas of the Andes and Mexico, it may have become extinct
and completely lost to us.
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Aside from amaranth being such an attractive
plant it is extremely adaptable to adverse
growing conditions. It resists heat and
drought, has no major disease problems, and is
among the easiest of plants to grow. Simply
scratching the soil, throwing down some seeds,
and watering will reward you with some of these
lovely plants.
Amaranth can be cooked as a cereal, ground into
flour, popped like popcorn, sprouted, or
toasted. The seeds can be cooked with other
whole grains, added to stir-fry or to soups and
stews as a nutrient dense thickening agent.
Amaranth is self pollinating.
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Amaranth
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Amaranth
Amaranth
was once almost wiped off the face of the earth by the
Spaniards. Adopting Amaranth as the world’s food staple
could alleviate many of the world’s problems especially
those occurring in nations not fully developed. It may even
have an impact on the spread of AIDS since HIV can not
penetrate healthy skin tissue. Amaranth provides virtually,
all the raw materials needed by the human bio-machine for
proper functioning; it has what most gluten based grains
including two essential amino acids, lysine and methionine.
 It
seems to have been designed specifically for this purpose.
. It resists heat and drought, has no major disease
problems, and grows in poor soil and is among the easiest of
plants to grow. There is one drawback which is also a great
blessing; it is labor intensive. This is why although a
superior food it is not as prolific as corn, rice, wheat
etc. This is also why it can eliminate poverty in the less
developed nations. Being labor intensive allows the
unskilled to provide something of great value to the skilled
workers who in turn provide value to the unskilled workers.
Amaranth flour is used in making pastas and baked goods. It
must be mixed with other flours for baking yeast breads, as
it contains no gluten. One part amaranth flour to 3-4 parts
wheat or other grain flours may be used. In the preparation
of flatbreads, pancakes and pastas, 100% amaranth flour can
be used. Sprouting the seeds will increase the level of some
of the nutrients and the sprouts can be used on sandwiches
and in salads, or just to munch on.
More reading. |
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The famous cartoon strip character that later became an animated cartoon series and eventually a
This was based on a story learned by Elzie Crisler Segar, creator of the Popeye character, of a plant called Amaranth, the vegetable version which is called Bayam – (Chinese spinach ).
The Aztecs considered this plant to have supernatural powers it was known as the "mystical grains of the Aztecs," "super grain of the Aztecs," and the "golden grain of the Gods" The grain was noted to be nourishing to infants and to provide energy and strength to warriors on extended trips and in battle. So Aztec warriors would consume it to give them superior strength.
Due to mistranslation though it was portrayed as spinach which is of the same family (Amaranthaceae) but is different from the actual grain Amaranth which is attributed these mystical powers of strength. The myth about spinach and its high iron content probably helped support the idea that spinach was a plant providing super powers. This may have first been propagated by Dr. E. von Wolf in 1870, because a misplaced decimal point in his publication led to an iron-content figure that was ten times too high. In 1937, German chemists reinvestigated this "miracle vegetable" and corrected the mistake. It was described by T.J. Hamblin in British Medical Journal, December 1981.
So Popeye consuming this specific plant to gain superior strength is not just a myth but is supported by science. The error is that it is not American Spinach or even Chinese spinach but correctly the Aztec use of a plant for superior strength is based on Amaranth Grain.