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Ingredient

Quinoa

Cereal Grains, Pseudocereals and Pasta

Quinoa, Chenopodium quinoa, is a grain-like seed crop domesticated in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, centred on the Lake Titicaca basin, from a wild relative in the genus Chenopodium. It was one of the main foods of Andean peoples before the Inca state absorbed the region and remained a staple under Inca rule, valued for tolerating the altitude, cold and drought of the altiplano where few other crops survive. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization named 2013 the International Year of Quinoa in recognition of Andean peoples' long stewardship of the crop.

Facts
Earliest Documented Use, From (Year)
from 5000 BCE 1
Peer reviewed survey states quinoa was first domesticated in Andean countries over seven thousand years ago, centred on Lake Titicaca; this is a floor rather than a precise point, so no end year is given alongside it.
Earliest Documented Use, To (Year)
to 3200 BCE 2
Sourced to the subject's own accountPairs the existing -5000 start year (matching the Frontiers in Plant Science over-7000-years-ago floor) with the near end of the same livestock-feed-use window this Wikipedia source documents.
Origin Region
The Andes of Peru and Bolivia, centred on the Lake Titicaca basin 1
Connections

Used By

Peruvian Cuisine, Cuisines
Source The Global Expansion of Quinoa: Trends and Limits (Frontiers in Plant Science)
In the Other Atlases
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Bolivia, originated there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Peru, originated there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: The Andes, originated there.
Sources
1. The Global Expansion of Quinoa: Trends and Limits (Frontiers in Plant Science)
Frontiers in Plant Science
  • Abstract
    Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) was first domesticated in Andean countries over 7000 years ago.
  • Used By: Peruvian Cuisine
View the Source
2. Quinoa (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
Quote, Lead section
It was first used to feed livestock 5,200-7,000 years ago, and for human consumption 3,000-4,000 years ago in the Lake Titicaca basin of Bolivia and Peru.
View the Source
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