Variously called African spinach, ramdana and brom-brou, amaranth is usually picked fresh for use in salads or cooked with meat or fish, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, which selected the crop native to the Andes as its “traditional crop of the month.” FAO launched the feature with amaranth to call attention to overlooked or under-utilized crops with outstanding nutritional or taste qualities. Some have potential as a cash crop, says FAO. Some of the upcoming crops are breadfruit, buckwheat, Bambara groundnut and teff.
Amaranth is a pseudograin because of flavor and cooking qualities that are similar to grains but it is gluten-free. “Amaranth grain is a popular snack sold in Mexico, sometimes mixed with chocolate or puffed rice, and its use has spread to Europe and parts of North America,” says FAO. “The leaves of the plant are frequently used in countries throughout Africa, the Caribbean, India and China.”