What’s Up with That Food: Chia Seeds
Paste uncovers the background of foods you've always wondered about
They’re rolled into energy bars, granola and tortillas. They’re mixed with tea (matcha and chai from Republic of Tea) and paired with yogurt. They can be whipped into a pudding. And who can forget Chia Pets from the ‘80s—where you’d attach chia seeds, water them, and the sprouted seeds formed something loosely resembling hair or fur. (That company is still around, but these days you can buy Chia Pet versions of President Obama and SpongeBob SquarePants.)
So, why are they everywhere? After all, they’re just seeds…tiny, versatile, nutrient-packed seeds. The American food landscape is packed with trendy ancient superfoods, whether it’s chia or maca or acai. Chia seeds started showing up in products around seven or eight years ago or so, and they just haven’t stopped since.
Type of food: Seed
Name: Salvia Hispanica, which is the most commercially marketed variety, and Salvia Columbariae, a thistle variety typically used in traditional and aboriginal cultures.
Origins: Basically, it’s an annual herb that bears purple or white flowers, which are responsible for producing the tiny seeds. The Columbariae variety of is found in Southwest U.S., and northern Mexico. Hispanica is a better cultivar for commercial use, and it’s been brought to South America, along with India, Australia and Africa, according to William Anderson, a.k.a. Chia Bill, a researcher, product development expert and pioneering advocate of chia.
Why/how did we start eating it: Anderson says the Native Americans of the Southwest were the first documented cultures to use the Columbariae variety; for the Hispanica variety, it was the Aztecs and Mayans in Mexico and Central America.
How it’s used: You can find chia in any number of places these days. It finds its way into dips, energy bars, granola, oatmeal. The Republic of Tea blends it into Matchia and Chia Chai.
You can use it as a gluten-free and vegan way to thicken soups. Janie Hoffman, founder of Mamma Chia and author of The Chia Cookbook, uses the seeds in smoothies, dips and muffins, along with surprising moves such as roasted tomato compote with chia yogurt cheese. Hoffman’s company uses organic chia seeds and was the first company to bring to market a chia-based drink—Organic Vitality. With so many options, what’s an easy start for using chia at home? “Try adding chia to condiments,” says Hoffman. Baked goods benefit from chia, too—some vegan cookies and cakes employ ground chia as a binder in lieu of eggs.
One of the aspects of chia’s versatility is the fact that the seeds are hydrophilic, which is a fancy way of saying that when you place them water, they expand; specifically, to more to ten times their weight. (You can thank the soluble fiber for that reaction.) Some people like to drink what becomes a somewhat gelatinous water to help curb their appetite, but chia also adds a thickening quality to jams, sauce and dressings. (See the hot sauce made by Homesweet Homegrown.)
