La quinua (del quechua kínua o kinuwa) , Chenopodium quinoa, es un pseudocereal perteneciente a la subfamilia Chenopodioideae de las amarantáceas. Se cultiva, principalmente, en la cordillera de los Andes. Los principales países productores son Bolivia y Perú.

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Quinoa (kēn’wä, from Quechua kinwa or kinuwa) is a species of the goosefoot genus (Chenopodium quinoa), a grain crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal, similar in some respects to buckwheat, 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. After harvest, the seeds must be processed to remove the coating containing the bitter-tasting saponins. The seeds are in general cooked the same way as rice and can be used in a wide range of dishes. The leaves are eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but commercial availability of quinoa greens is limited. When cooked, the nutrient composition is comparable to common cereals, supplying a moderate amount of dietary fiber and minerals. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations declared 2013 to be the International Year of Quinoa. Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Chile, and was domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago for human consumption in the Lake Titicaca basin, though archaeological evidence shows a non-domesticated association with pastoral herding some 5,200 to 7,000 years ago.

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