Quinoa – is it worth it?

Quinoa is mostly found clinging to the mountain fields of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador and incredibly has been growing for domestic purposes since 3000BC. It forms a very important part of the natives’ staple diet, being nutritious, easily attainable and also extremely cheap – at least it used to be.


Pronounced keen-wa (not qui-no-a), the increasingly popular crop is a hugely profitable export for some South American countries. It has recently been hailed as a new “superfood” in the West, because it contains essential amino acids and high levels of calcium, phosphorous and iron.

It doesn’t taste too bad either, with a subtle nutty flavour and interesting texture. Along with a quick cooking time, it seems to be an all-round winner and is regularly seen on restaurant menus and supermarket aisles all over the UK.

Fantastic we say, its great that we are trying new things, especially when it’s so good for us.  But – and it’s a fairly big but – our love of quinoa has caused the price to skyrocket over the last few years. In fact, the price of quinoa has tripled since 2006, and not just in the Western countries.