I have been 'amaranth', or some variation thereon, since 1994. And why?
| Why 'amaranth'? When I was self-employed, the name of my company was Amaranth Computing Systems: a friend's suggestion, being [he said] 'a mythical red flower that never fades'. Nature unaccountably failed to make my hair colour match my temper: thank heavens for Recital ... |
Agriculture "South Americans parch or cook it for a gruel or porridge, or mill it to produce a light-colored flour. The flour contains little or no glutens and must be blended with wheat flour so baked goods will rise. As a snack, the tiny grain is popped and tastes like nutty-flavored popcorn, or it is mixed with honey." ...more |
The Amaranth's Fascinating* Past The Incas used to mix popped amaranth grain with blood from a human sacrifice, form the mixture into a doll and eat it. [read more here] Probably as a result of the above, Cortez banned the cultivation of the amaranth after conquering the useful bits of South America. In ancient Greece, the amaranth was sacred to Artemis. Pliny recommended the amaranth for making chaplets. |
| Definition The word 'amaranth' is derived from the Greek for 'unfading' or 'not withering'. The amaranth is a symbol of immortality. The genus Amaranthus includes pigweed and tumbleweed, as well as the 'true amaranths' - with lasting red pigment in stems and leaves. Look it up ... The colour 'amaranth' usually refers to either red or purple. |
Masonic Ties In the 17th century, Queen Christina of Sweden created the Order of the Amaranthia, named after a virtuous lady of the court. The tradition of this Order was revived in 19th-century America by masons, and today flourishes world-wide as a masonic organisation which welcomes women. see About the Amaranth |
| Cooking with Amaranth The following sites feature recipes using the amaranth (which is full of protein and eminently suitable for a gluten-free diet) Nu-World Amaranth Products and vegweb! |
The Plant "The grain has an unusually nutritious balance of amino acids making it an excellent protein food... is also potentially useful as a source of small-grained specialty starch and as a source of squalene oil ... Ornamental amaranths are very colorful...Most of the species in Amaranthus are wild." ...more |
What I am not: a township in Ontario, Canada ... a manga character ... a publishing house ... any of several bands, worldwide ... 'Chinese spinach' ... an mist-shrouded island off the coast of Kent (more RPG, I think) ... a true daughter of Ramoth ... a bookshop in Chicago ... a network consultancy ... a furniture design company ... a digital imaging company ... a Wiccan academy ... a film company ... a font ... |
*Your mileage may vary