Royal quinoa, a fundamental superfood for feeding Aymara and Quechua communities in Bolivia, grows on the banks of the Uyuni salt flat, the largest in the world with more than 10,000 square kilometers and where its producers ensure that the unique conditions of the place strengthen the grain.

At 3,600 meters above sea level, in front of a desert of salt, in an arid and cold climate and with great temperature changes between day and night, the royal quinoa grows with a grain larger than other varieties and is called a superfood for its high nutritional content, rich in proteins and minerals and with a less bitter flavor than others due to its lower sapon content, which is a natural substance that covers the grain.

Guadalupe Ramos, 79 years old and who has an experience of 50 in the planting and harvesting of royal quinoa in the community of Jirira in the department of Oruro, assured EFE that “on the edge of the salt flat is the best quinoa.”

The farmer cooks with the grain: “soups, cakes, Galicians, bread and even soft drinks,” and indicated that thanks to this food she can work with energy at almost 80 years old and the royal quinoa was the basis of the diet of her “six children, fourteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren”.

Eddy, a young farmer from Jirira, told EFE that most of the grain that his family harvests is sold so that other producers can sow the royal quinoa in other parts of the highlands.

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For tourists visiting the Uyuni salt flat, the image of the red fields of the royal quinoa plant is an impressive view, since it contrasts with the dry grass and little vegetation and in rainy season the red grains and stems are reflected in the mirror of water that is created in the salt desert.

The grain is usually ivory white but there are also red and black colors, without the flavor or essential characteristics changing.

Bolivia obtained in 2014 the designation of origin by the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), made up of Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, of the ‘Royal Quinoa of the Southern Altiplano of Bolivia’ that guarantees that it is an exclusive Bolivian product to protect its authenticity.

The Andean country is also the world’s leading producer of royal quinoa, with 55 percent of global production.

Recently Guadalupe showed the royal quinoa harvest to a group of chefs from the ‘Project of Indigenous and Native Cuisines’ of the United States Embassy fund and the Gustu restaurant, in order for the grain to be used not only in local cuisine, but also in haute cuisine.

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In the group was the famous chef Sean Sherman of the Sioux nation in the United States, who cooked the harvested quinoa with Guadalupe. Sherman was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023 for his work to vindicate indigenous native cuisines, and shared his knowledge with Bolivian chefs and cooks.