What are the differences between amaranth and quinoa?

amaranth and quinoa are cereal super foods with high protein and other nutrients. They are very similar to taste and both can be prepared and served similarly to rice. There are several key differences between amaranth and quinoa, including nutrient content, ideal growth conditions and some preparation techniques.

From the nutritional point of view, amaranth and quinoa are extremely better than other common grains such as wheat or rice, but differ in the types of nutrients they provide. At approximately 8 to 9 grams per portion, both have a high protein content. However, Quinoa contains a complete protein, while Amaranth's protein is incomplete. This means that amaranth does not contain all the amino acids that people need and must therefore be complemented by other sources of proteins.

Amaranth and quinoa also have different amounts of vitamins and minerals. Quinoa has higher vitamins containing 19% of the daily recommended value (DV) folate and approximately 10% of vitamins B1, B2 and B6 for one portion. Persors of amaranth contains about 14% drIn folate and 14% DRV B6, ​​but not a significant number of other vitamins. Amaranth, however, has more healthy minerals with 100% manganese DRV and more than 25% DRV of phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Quinoa has approximately 50% of DRV of manganese and a noticeable amount of iron, copper and zinc.

both plants require slightly different cultivation conditions. Quinoa is a cold crop of weather and is usually planted in April or May in the northern United States. On the other hand, Amaranth is a warmer weather plant with a later growing season because it is usually planted in June.

In many ways, amaranth and quinoa are prepared in the same way. For the first time, however, Quinoa is covered with a compound called saponin, which is not on Amaranth. Saponin is a soap, a bitter substance that protects the plant from consuming birds or insects. This compound is usually washed in front of commercially packed but consumers should quinoa forEd to rinse thoroughly by cooking. The preparation of amaranth does not require this step.

The individual seeds of amaranth are slightly smaller than the Quinoa seeds. For this reason, Amaranth usually has a shorter cooking time. Alternatively, the amaranth can be cooked longer and dissolved almost completely for use as in the amplification of plant broth.