Re: Amaranthus
Jon-Erik Rehn (jonerik@ab.lst.se)
Wed, 16 Oct 1996 09:39:57 +0200
At 13:28 15.10.1996 +0100, you wrote:
>
>Hello,
>
>
>we are two French students in agriculture trying to find some informatio=
ns=20
>about the Mexican grain Amaranthus (Amaranthus crespus). In order to=20
>complete our engineer studies, we have to work out a final thesis that w=
e=20
>would like to dedicate to the rural development, the food security and =
all=20
>the themes related to developing countries.
>
>At present, we are looking for any kind of informations, articles,=20
>statistics or studies dealing with Amaranthus and its production. As we =
know=20
>that you are working on tropical and subtropical crops maybe have you ev=
er=20
>heard anything about this plant. It would be very kind of you if you cou=
ld=20
>find and send us some datas or contacts that could help us to find some.
>
>Thank you very much in advance.
>Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
>
>
> Jean-Philippe GALLET
> & Cedric LEGER
>
> =20
>
>------------------------------------------------------
>------------------------------------------------------
>
Hello,
As I worked in Tanzania some years ago I came across Amaranthus and the w=
ay
they use it in Tanzania. I can't be sure it's the species you are interes=
ted
in, Amaranthus crespus, but anyway this is what I know: In swahili it is
called mchicha, in english sometimes "African spinach" and it is grown fo=
r
the leaves, not the grain. It is easy to grow (in the tropics - I have tr=
ied
in my home in Sweden also but not succeded very well) and also available =
in
small bundles in any marketplace. It is cooked, often first boiled with
water and then kind of fried together with some onion and tomatoes, or ju=
st
plain. It tastes very good and I believe that in some areas it is the maj=
or,
or sometimes only, green vegetable and as such a very important souce of
for example vitamins A and C and Iron(? I'm an agricultural engineer, not=
a
nutritionist).
As I mentioned it is easy to grow and it seems like there are no serious
pests or diseases affecting it.
I believe (though I'm not sure) that this is the same plant that the Inca
people of South America used to grow to use the seeds as a grain. I read
somewhere that the protein composition of these seeds compliments almost
perfectly the protein composition of maize wich was their (other) staple =
food.
I am presently trying to introduce "African Spinach" as a green leaf
vegetable in a certain area in Ethiopia so I would very much appreciate i=
f
you could share with me any information you come across.
Good luck with your research!
Yours sincerely
Jon-Erik Rehn
______________________________________________________
Jon-Erik Rehn, e-mail: jonerik@ab.lst.se
L=E4nsstyrelsen i Stockholms l=E4n, Box 22067, 104 22 STOCKHOLM
Telefon: 08 - 785 4914, Telefax: 08 - 650 77 40
International:
County Administrative Board of Stockholm
P.O.Box 22067
S-104 22 STOCKHOLM, Sweden
Telephone: +46 8 785 4914, Telefax: +46 8 650 77 40