The Amaranth plant is reported to be native of the Americas and little is known about its official transport and prorogation in other continents. The amaranth plant has become well established in Asia, particularly in India, China, and Vietnam. Usually the young seedlings are uprooted, washed, chopped and briefly steamed.
In Singapore, a tall amaranth variety is relished for its stems, which are peeled and eaten as asparagus.
In the southern states of the USA, the tiny black amaranth seeds are broadcast over a well-prepared garden bed and the thinnings are eaten along with collard and other greens.
The Greeks pluck amaranth leaves, boil them, and then discard the water containing the oxalic acid, which is toxic if taken in great excess.
in Namibia and South Africa, the dried amaranth leaves are added to "mealie meal" (maize porridge), giving it a green color .
In Australia and New Zealand amaranth is known mainly as a flower and is called “Love-Lies-Bleeding” and “Joseph's Coat”. In New Zealand a cultivated form of leaf amaranth is called "Tampala".
In northern India, seeds of the Amaranth are popped and sold as a sweet or a cereal that has been used for centuries.
From all indications the British merchants must have transported the amaranth seeds to the four corners of the empire.
The wild relative "pigweed" (A. powellii & A. retroflexus) can be recognized by the erect spikes on the stem and smaller leaves
By the middle of the last century, the cultivation of grain amaranth had declined to the point where it was grown only in small plots in Mexico, the Andean highlands, and in the Himalayan foothills of India and Nepal. Even now, there is evidence that some traditional farmers are abandoning the cultivation of local landraces of amaranth as they devote more of their land to high-yielding "modern" crops.
Amaranth (from the Greek for "never-fading flower") is an annual herb, and is therefore not a true grain. It has broad leaves and large flower heads that produce thousands of tiny, protein-rich seeds. There are hundreds of varieties of amaranth. It is grown for its leaves-some varieties are good in salad, some are delicious steamed or stir-fried and its somewhat peppery seeds.
Amaranth is on its way back and support for its growth and utilization has been the project of several of the land grand colleges in the mid west of the United States. It is still a long way from being a stable in the American diet because of the competition of inexpensive wheat and corn. It will take some time and education to get people to realize that they have a nutritious, easy to use food source at their fingertips.
