Quinoa (from Quechua kinwa or Okinawa ) is a species of the goosefoot genus (Chenopodium quinoa), a grain crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, as it is not a member of the true grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beetroots, spinach, and tumbleweeds. As a member of the Amaranthaceae family, it is related to and resembles amaranth, which is also a pseudocereal.

It is high in protein and is tolerant of dry soil.

Quinoa was important to the diet of pre-Columbian Andean civilizations.[*6] Protein content is very high for a cereal/pseudo-cereal (*4% by mass), but not as high as most beans and legumes. This includes a low gluten content[*7] that appears to be well tolerated when consumed at normal levels by people with celiac disease.[*8] The protein content per **0 calories is higher than brown rice, potatoes, barley and millet, but is less than wild rice and oats.[*9] Nutritional evaluations indicate that quinoa is a source of complete protein.[*7][*0][*1] Other sources claim its protein is not complete but relatively high in essential amino acids.[*2] Other pseudo grains derived from seeds are similar in complete protein levels; buckwheat is *8% protein compared to *4% for Quinoa; Amaranth, a related species to Quinoa, ranges from *2% to *7.5%.