Amaranth, Gluten Free

Amaranth with Thai curry

Amaranth is an exciting gluten free grain that I had been hearing about for a while but only very recently did I manage to get my hands on some. Since posting on Twitter and my Facebook page about this new discovery I’ve had a lot of questions. It appears that many of us in the gluten free community have heard of this mystery food but not many of us have tried it. I’ve been gluten free for almost 3 years now and I ate it for the first time last week.

What is amararth?It’s a gluten free grain which originated in South America. It was a staple food of the Aztecs. When raw it looks a bit like quinoa but when cooked it has

Whole Grain Amaranth

more of a porridge consistency.

Why is it good for celiacs? It’s 100% gluten free. Yay! It has a lot more protein than most other gluten free grains. It also contains a lot of calcium, fiber, magnesium, iron and potassium, nutrients that most gluten free products tend to be very low in and which celiacs need to prevent us from being deficient in these nutrients.

What does it taste like? It tastes unlike any grain I’ve eaten before. It has a nutty and almost sweet taste to it.

What should I eat with it? Amaranth is extremely versatile. You could eat it as a side to any dish the way you would with rice or quinoa or you could make it the focus of a dish like an amaranth version of risotto or an amaranth salad. With it’s porridge like consistency it would also work well as a breakfast served with fresh fruit, milk and honey.

Have you tried amaranth? What did you think? What did you eat it with? Share your thoughts in the comments below..