quinoa

American  

[keen-wah, kee-noh-uh] / ˈkin wɑ, kiˈnoʊ ə /

Also quinua

noun

1. a tall crop plant, Chenopodium quinoa, of the amaranth family, cultivated mainly in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile for its small, ivory-colored seed, which is used as a food staple.

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quinoa British  

/ ˈkiːnəʊə, kwɪˈnəʊə /

noun

1. a grain high in nutrients traditionally grown as a staple food high in the Andes

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Etymology

Origin of quinoa

First recorded in 1615–25; from Spanish quinoa, quínoa, quinua, from Quechua kínua, kinúwa

Explanation

Quinoa is a South American flowering plant and also the name of the starchy, edible grain that's harvested from it. Quinoa, like rice, oats, and barley, is a grain that's delicious when it's boiled or steamed. The part you eat is the protein-rich seed of the quinoa plant, which is closely related to both amaranth and spinach. Quinoa is an ancient food, native to the Andes Mountains and eaten by humans for about 4,000 years. Its name comes from a Spanish spelling of the Incan kinua.

Example Sentences

Once filled, the contents go into an Instapot with water and apple-cider vinegar, brewing broth that Bair uses in soups, rice and quinoa.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

Typically, I get the protein breakfast with quinoa, egg whites and chicken.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2025

Producers in pockets of Latin America and Asia are increasingly turning to highly-adaptable and stress-tolerant varieties of quinoa instead of climate-sensitive crops such as coffee.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2025

A family of Peruvian farmers harvests quinoa near Lake Titicaca.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 26, 2024

Less well known are Africa’s combination of sorghum, African rice, and pearl millet with cowpeas and groundnuts, and the Andes’ combination of the noncereal grain quinoa with several bean species.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond