All Red Amaranth
By: Anonymous

About

All Red Amaranth is a leafy plant, that some cultures eat as a vegetable. The leaves can be cut at any stage of growth and will regrow.

Information
Translations: Visas Red Amarants, Visi Red Amaranth, Toate Red Amaranth, Sve Red Amaranth, Mọi Dền đỏ, Wszystkie Red Amaranth, Alle Red Amaranth, सारे Red ऐमारैंथ, Todos os Amaranth Vermelho, Все Красного Амарант, Όλες οι Red Amaranth, جميع أمارانث الأحمر, 모든 붉은 자줏빛, Všechny červené Amaranth, Semua Amaranth Merah, Lahat ng Red amaranto, 所有红苋菜, Tots Amaranto Vermell, Vse Red Amarant, Všetky červené Amaranth, Tutte rosso amaranto, ירבוז כל האדום, Alla Red Amaranth, Све Црвена Амарантх, 全てのレッドアマランス, Tous Amaranth Rouge, Alle Red Amaranth, Alle Red Amaranth, Alle Red Amaranth, Todos Amaranto Rojo, Всі Червоного Амарант, Kaikki Red Amaranth, Всички Червен Амарантът


Physical Description
All Red is a unique amaranth variety with red leaves and deep red stems.

Colors: Red and green leaves with deep red stems.


Tasting Notes
Flavors: earthy
Mouthfeel: Tender, Fiberous
Substitutes: Spinach


Selecting and Buying
Buying: Available at some farmer's markets
Procuring: Upright and tall type plants grow vigorously in hot weather, suitable for growing from late spring through early fall.Young leaves and stems can be harvested for cooking at any growing stage. Several cuttings can be obtained with the cut-and-grow-again method.


Preparation and Use
Best when steamed, stir-fryed or sauteed. 
Cleaning: rinse well. 


Social/Political
Here in the US, it is gaining popularity following the Greek tradition of using the leaves in the place of spinach, whether as a micro-green for fresh salad use, or grown out and cooked. Widely adapted and heat tolerant, but does not do well in cool temperatures. The seeds are useful ground and used as a nutritious flour.
Amaranth is used in various cultures in some very interesting ways. In Mexico it is popped and mixed with a sugar solution to make a confection called "alegria" (happiness), and milled and roasted amaranth seed is used to create a traditional Mexican drink called "atole."
Peruvians use fermented amaranth seed to make "chicha" or beer. In the Cusco area the flowers are used to treat toothache and fevers and as a food colorant for maize and quinoa. During the carnival festival women dancers often use the red amaranth flower as rouge, painting their cheeks, then dancing while carrying bundles of amaranth on their backs as they would a baby.
In both Mexico and Peru the amaranth leaves are gathered then used as a vegetable either boiled or fried. In India amaranth is known as "rajeera" (the King’s grain) and is popped then used in confections called "laddoos," which are similar to Mexican "alegria."
In Nepal, amaranth seeds are eaten as gruel called "sattoo" or milled into flour to make chappatis. In Ecuador, the flowers are boiled then the colored boiling water is added to "aquardeinte" rum to create a drink that "purifies the blood," and is also reputed to help regulate the menstrual cycle.

History: Amaranth has roots in Asian, Chinese, Mediterranean, and Native American cuisine and culture. This red-purple variety is a common ingredient in stir-fry and soups in China, and has uses as a food dye. Amaranth (Amaranthus) has a colorful history, is highly nutritious, and the plant itself is extremely attractive and useful. Amaranth was a staple in the diets of pre-Columbian Aztecs, who believed it had supernatural powers and incorporated it into their religious ceremonies. Before the Spanish conquest in 1519, amaranth was associated with human sacrifice and the Aztec women made a mixture of ground amaranth seed, honey or human blood then shaped this mixture into idols that were eaten ceremoniously. This practice appalled the conquistadors who reasoned that eliminating the amaranth would also eliminate the sacrifices. The grain was forbidden by the Spanish, and consequently fell into obscurity for hundreds of years. If not for the fact that the cultivation of amaranth continued in a few remote areas of the Andes and Mexico, it may have become extinct and completely lost to us.