Editing Amaranth (section)

=== History ===
The native range of the genus is cosmopolitan.<ref name="Tucker 1986" />  In pre-Hispanic times, amaranth was cultivated by the Aztec and their tributary communities in a quantity very similar to maize.<ref>Mapes, Cristina, Eduardo Espitia, and Scott Sessions. "Amaranth." In ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures''. : Oxford University Press, 2001. {{ISBN|0195108159}}</ref>  Known to the [[Aztecs]] as {{lang|nci|huāuhtli}},<ref>{{cite book |author=Coe, S.D. |year=1994 |title=America's First Cuisines |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=9780292711594 |url=https://archive.org/details/americasfirstcui00coes |url-access=registration}}</ref> amaranth is thought to have represented up to 80% of their energy consumption before the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|Spanish conquest]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} Another important use of amaranth throughout [[Mesoamerica]] was in ritual drinks and foods. To this day, [[amaranth grain]]s are toasted much like popcorn and mixed with [[honey]], [[molasses]], or [[chocolate]] to make a treat called {{lang|es|[[Alegría (Mexican candy)|alegría]]}}, meaning "joy" in Spanish.

While all species are believed to be native to the Americas, several have been cultivated and introduced to warm regions worldwide. Amaranth's cosmopolitan distribution makes it one of many plants providing evidence of [[Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact theories|pre-Columbian oceanic contact]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Singh Anurudh K (2017) Early History of Crop Introductions into India: II. ''Amaranthus'' (L.) spp. Asian Agri-History 21(4): 319-324 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322329859 |access-date=2020-08-27 |website=ResearchGate |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sorenson |first1=John L. |last2=Johannessen |first2=Carl L. |date=April 2004 |title=Scientific Evidence for Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Voyages |url=http://www.sino-platonic.org/complete/spp133_precolumbian_voyages.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.sino-platonic.org/complete/spp133_precolumbian_voyages.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |journal=Sino-Platonic Papers |volume=133}}</ref> The earliest archeological evidence for amaranth in the Old World was found in an excavation in Narhan, India, dated to 1000–800&nbsp;BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Saraswat |first1=K.S. |last2=Sharma |first2=N.K. |last3=Saini |first3=D.C. |title=Plant Economy at Ancient Narhan (ca. 1300 B.C.-300/400 A.D.) in Excavations at Narhan (1984-1989), Appendix IV |date=1994 |publisher=Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University |location=Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |pages=225–337}}</ref>

Because of its importance as a symbol of indigenous culture, its palatability, ease of cooking, and a protein that is particularly well-suited to human nutritional needs, interest in amaranth seeds (especially ''A.&nbsp;cruentus'' and ''A.&nbsp;hypochondriacus'') revived in the 1970s. It was recovered in Mexico from wild varieties<ref>{{Cite web|title=Amaranth - May Grain of the Month {{!}} The Whole Grains Council|url=https://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/grain-month-calendar/amaranth-may-grain-month|access-date=2021-12-28|website=wholegrainscouncil.org}}</ref> and is now commercially cultivated. It is a popular snack in Mexico, sometimes mixed with chocolate or puffed rice, and its use has spread to Europe and other parts of North America.