Half of Australia can’t even pronounce hipster’s favourite super-food

According to a survey, more than three-quarters of respondents had no idea of why quinoa is healthy and eight in 10 are clueless as to where it comes from*.

Containing all nine of the essential amino acids that cannot be created by the human body, it is one of the only plant sources in the world to be considered a complete protein, says Sandhurst Fine Foods, which released the survey ahead of the launch of a ready-to-eat range called Quinoa & Co.

The range will consist of four lines, including a mixed quinoa with eggplant caponata; a white quinoa with artichoke; a red quinoa with piquillo pepper, cabbage and lentil; and a plain option. 

Nutritionist Melanie Lionello has developed a series of quinoa recipes to coincide with the launch.

Widely regarded as the national dish for any super-foodie, quinoa rose to fame in the early 2010s, reaching a high point when the United nations declared 2013 as the International Year of the Quinoa. 

In 2015, the Harvard Public School of Health said that eating a bowl of gluten-free whole grain or cereal fibre daily reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Yet still very few Australians know anything about the 4,000-year-old crop grown for its seeds. Only a small number know, for example, that 

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