members of the grass family and so are not true cereals, but their seeds resemble the cereal grains and are used in similar ways Amaranth Amaranth is the tiny seed, just 1–2 mm across, of three species of Amaranthus that originated in Mexico and Central and South America, and were cultivated more than 5,000 years ago (There are also species of amaranth native to the Old World, but they are used exclusively as green vegetables.) Today amaranth supplements other grains in many baked goods, breakfast cereals, and snacks The Aztec combination of popped seeds and sticky sweetener lives on in the Mexican alegria (“joy”) and Indian laddoo Amaranth seeds contain substantially more protein and oil than the cereals Buckwheat Buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum, is a plant in the Polygonum family, a relative of rhubarb and sorrel It’s a native of central Asia, was domesticated in China or India relatively recently, around 1,000 years ago, and was brought to northern Europe during the Middle Ages It tolerates poor growing conditions and matures in a little over two months, so it has long been valued in cold regions with short growing seasons Buckwheat kernels are triangular, a sixth to a third of an inch/4–9 mm across, with a dark hull (pericarp) The inner seed is a mass of starchy endosperm surrounding a small embryo and contained in a light green-yellow seed coat Intact seeds with the hull removed are called groats Buckwheat is about 80% starch and 14% protein, mostly salt-soluble globulins It contains about double the oil of most cereals, and this limits the shelf life of groats and flour The hulled groats are about 0.7% phenolic compounds, some of which give the grain its characteristic astringency The distinctive aroma of cooked buckwheat has nutty, smoky, green, and slightly fishy ... years ago, and was brought to northern Europe during the Middle Ages It tolerates poor growing conditions and matures in a little over two months, so it has long been valued in cold regions with... seasons Buckwheat kernels are triangular, a sixth to a third of an inch/4–9 mm across, with a dark hull (pericarp) The inner seed is a mass of starchy endosperm surrounding a small embryo and contained in a light green-yellow... Intact seeds with the hull removed are called groats Buckwheat is about 80% starch and 14% protein, mostly salt-soluble globulins It contains about double the oil of most cereals, and this limits the shelf life of