Chenopodium pallidicaule, known as cañihua, canihua or cañahua and also kaniwa, is a species of goosefoot, similar in character and uses to the closely related quinoa. Cañihua is native to the Andean region, with more than 200 varieties, and it has been farmed in the Altiplano for millennia.

Today, canihua is taking its place amid the growing family of globally recognised “superfoods”, prized for their nutritional density and versatility. Like quinoa, canihua is actually a seed which functions like a grain, and is a member of the goosefoot family of broad leaved plants.

Kaniwa is naturally gluten-free. One cup of cooked quinoa, weighing 185 grams (g), contains:
Nutrition Facts : Kaniwa Amount Per 185 gm
Calories 222
Protein 8.14
Fibre 5.2 g
Fat 3.55 g
Carbohydrate 39.4 g
Magnesium 30% RDA
Manganese 30% RDA
Folate 19% RDA
Phosphorous 28% RDA
Copper 18% RDA
Iron 15% RDA
Zinc 13% RDA
Potassium 9 % RDA
One cup also contains more than 10 percent of the RDA of the vitamins B-1, B-2, and B-6, and traces of vitamin E, B3, and calcium