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Amaranth has been cultivated as a grain for 8,000 years. The yield of grain amaranth is comparable to rice or maize. It was a staple food of the Aztecs, and was used as an integral part of Aztec religious ceremonies. The cultivation of amaranth was banned by the conquistadores upon their conquest of the Aztec nation. Because the plant has continued to grow as a weed since that time, its genetic base has been largely maintained. Research on grain amaranth began in the US in the 1970s. By the end of the 1970s, a few thousand acres were being cultivated.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Grain Amaranth: A Lost Crop of the Americas ) ((PDF version ) also available) 〕 Much of the grain currently grown is sold in health food shops. Grain amaranth is also grown as a food crop in limited amounts in Mexico, where it is used to make a candy called ''alegría'' (Spanish for happiness) at festival times. Amaranth species that are still used as a grain are ''Amaranthus caudatus'', ''Amaranthus cruentus'', and ''Amaranthus hypochondriacus''. The grain is popped and mixed with honey. In North India, it is called "rājgīrā" (राजगीरा). The popped grain is mixed with melted jaggery in proper proportion to make iron and energy rich “laddus,” a popular food provided at the Mid-day Meal Program in municipal schools. Amaranth grain can also be used to extract amaranth oil - a particularly valued pressed seed oil with many commercial uses. ==Nutritional analysis== As the following table shows, raw grain amaranth has many nutrients.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=NDL/FNIC 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Amaranth grain」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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