Named as "Gold-grain of Andean", quinoa is not a cereal like rice or maize but a plant of the family of Chenopodiaceae like bee root or spinach. It was domesticated in South-America, in particular in Bolivia and Peru, around 3,000 years ago. The Incas who held the crop to be sacred referred to quinoa as chisaya mama or "Mother of all grains". Quinoa seeds are in general cooked in the same way than rice and can be used in a wide range of dishes. Quinoa leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable. People appreciate quinoa seeds for its nutritional value. It is considered as a superfood. Protein content is very high
yet not as high as most beans and legumes. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus, magnesium, iron, calcium... The United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 as the "International Year of Quinoa" in recognition of the ancestral practices of the Andean people who preserved quinoa during many thousand years.