History of Quinoa

The South American tribes who first cultivated quinoa referred to it as the ‘Mother of All Grains’. Yet despite this grand title, quinoa has only recently entered the public eye, and has quickly been adopted as part of healthy diets around the world. The journey from obscurity to newfound fame is only a small part of quinoa’s interesting history, which began almost 5000 years ago.

The grain like seed that is quinoa was first cultivated all over South America, in the areas we now know as Bolivia, Peru, and Chile. It comprised a large proportion of the local diet, and was prized both for its significant nutritional value and its hardiness as a crop. Quinoa was one of the few foodstuffs that could thrive without any problems in the unforgiving environmental conditions of the Andes Mountains. It was also very versatile, because aside from the seeds, the leaves of the plant could also be consumed. It was the Incans who dubbed it ‘chisaya mama’ or Mother of all Grains, and treasured quinoa enough to use it in their most sacred religious ceremonies.

Unfortunately, the arrival of Francisco Pizarro and his Conquistadores in the 16th century put an end to this golden age of quinoa. Though the colonizers would work to systematically erase all local cultures and traditions, the Spanish came to detest quinoa in particular for several reasons. First of all, because it was so widely revered by the natives and even used in their ceremonies, it was considered to be a threat to the Christian faith of the invaders, and thus heretical.

Secondly, they rejected it as a source of food. Quinoa seeds are naturally coated in saponins, bitter tasting chemicals that are usually washed off before cooking or consumption. The Spanish, not knowing this, were revolted by the taste, and forced the natives to plant corn, barley and potatoes instead. What the foreigners could not know was that the saponins that made quinoa so unpalatable also made it a very hardy crop. The bitter taste prevented them from being preyed upon by birds and other pests, and helped assure a bountiful harvest. The new crops that the Spanish insisted on planting did not have this kind of natural protection, leading to crop failures and subsequent famine. Desperate for sustenance and hoping to preserve even the tiniest shred of their cultural heritage, some of the native resorted to growing quinoa illicitly in fields located at higher altitudes, away from the prying eyes of the Spaniards. However, because of such ruthless oppression, quinoa eventually fell into centuries of obscurity, unknown by all but a few natives.

Quinoa was brought back into the limelight in the 1970’s through the teachings of the Bolivian spiritual leader Oscar Ichazo, who encouraged his followers to consume quinoa to help them reach higher plains of spirituality while meditating. Two of his students, Don McKinley and Stephen Gorad, were so impressed by the grain that they formed the Quinoa Corporation, and made it their mission to restore quinoa to its former glory as a primary food source. Since then, it has grown steadily in popularity, and has found a new life as a replacement for ordinary rice and grains, and has gained a reputation as a potent functional food, prized for its high nutritional content and many medicinal benefits. Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador are the main producers of quinoa in the world today, with many more countries starting to cultivate the crop for domestic consumption and export. Because of quinoa’s epic history and outstanding reputation as one of nature’s finest grains, Hidalgo Foods is proud to supply only the best quality organic quinoa, providing our customers with a healthy food option as rich in heritage as it is in nutrition.