When I saw chia seeds for sale in my local supermarket several months ago, I almost didn't buy them. Because I thought I'd covered chia seeds already. But I was unsure, so I got them anyway. And looking back through 12 years of posts, I couldn't find any about chia seeds. I think I confused them with basil seeds. Anyway, here we are. The chia seeds I purchased were from Paramount Foods LLC, and were listed as being products of Belize, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Hence the longer title.
I went into detail about the New Jersey-based Paramount Foods company in my post on August 12, 2023. So consult that if you're curious, but I won't repeat myself much now. Instead I'll focus on chia seeds themselves. Chia is a member of the mint family, and is indigenous to Mexico. These tiny seeds (their average length, width, and depth are 2.1, 1.3, and .08 millimeters respectively) have been cultivated since at least 500 years ago or so, since there are representations and references of them by the Aztecs in the 16th century. It's easy to see why they're a staple, as they are undeniably nutritious. They're high in carbs, protein, fat, and fatty acids, and also have high amounts of thiamine, niacin, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, and iron. Thye also have decent amounts of folate and riboflavin How they're eaten varies. Some are eaten raw, and others are eaten as a gel-like paste. Other folks mix them into other foods, such as into breakfast cereals, energy and granola bars, yogurts, breads, tortillas, and into drinks like smoothies. Chia seeds are also a substitute for eggs for those with allergies, or for those who follow vegan diets. Some people regard them as being a superfood, and others believe that they have medical benefits. To date there's no evidence of any medical benefits (other than being a nutritious food), but on the plus side, no adverse medical effects, including drug interactions, have been found, either. Currently, chia is grown and consumed in Mexico. Guatemala, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador. Australia, the U.K., and the U.S.
Paramount Foods, LLC, Chia Seeds: The seeds were as tiny as advertised--so small it's very difficult to pick up just a single one at a time. Like the size of coarse grains of sand. Multi-colored, as most were dark gray, but a few were white, and others brownish. The texture was crunchy. In fact, texture was basically all there was--they didn't really have much of a taste. I had some plain, and others mixed in with a rice and beans dish. This change didn't make much of a difference. So, overall if you're looking for flavor, these are utterly useless, and I strongly recommend against them. If you're looking for nutrition, yes, they're healthy and all, so there's that. But unless your taste buds are completely different than mine, you won't get any enjoyment out of them.
I was amused to be reminded that growing chia plants became a slightly weird fad back in the 1980's and beyond. In the form of Chia Pets, the terracotta animal figurines that you could grow chia sprouts in and upon. Which made them look like they were growing green hair after a while. I recall the ubiquitous, annoyingly catchy television commercials, but I was unaware that Chia Pets are still a thing. And what a thing--as recently as 2019 15,000,000 Chia Pets were sold. So good on Joe Pedott for coming up with a popular and surprisingly long-lasting fad. Evidently they even had a Chia Pet that was a model of television artist Bob Ross's head, which makes me laugh. And just to pass along the annoyance, for people over 35 or so, here's the television ad jingle---"Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!!!" (Sorry, this might get in your head (or even atop your head?) for quite some time, if you're anything like me.)
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