Amaranth is a sacred grain, from the Himalaya to the Andes, for Indian civilisation and the civilisations of Meso-America. First cultivated by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas – notably the Aztecs – it is one of the oldest grains in the world. The root word amara, in both Greek and Sanskrit, means ‘eternal’ or ‘deathless’. Yet today amaranth is under threat from modern agro-industry.

Varieties of amaranth grow all over India. Its leaves contain more iron than spinach and have a more delicate taste. Apart from rice bran, amaranth grain has the highest content of iron amongst cereals. ...

 

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