![]() New patented varieties of chia have been developed in Kentucky for cultivation in northern latitudes of the United States. In the 21st century, chia is grown and consumed commercially in its native Mexico and Guatemala, as well as Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Australia. The seeds of Salvia columbariae are also used for food. Other plants referred to as "chia" include "golden chia" ( Salvia columbariae). Chia (or chian or chien) has mostly been identified as Salvia hispanica L. The seeds are hydrophilic, absorbing up to 12 times their weight in liquid when soaked they develop a mucilaginous coating that gives them a gel texture. They are mottle-colored with brown, gray, black, and white. Typically, chia seeds are small flattened ovoids measuring on average 2.1 mm × 1.3 mm × 0.8 mm (0.08 in × 0.05 in × 0.03 in), with an average weight of 1.3 mg (0.020 gr) per seed. ![]() Chia seeds are cultivated on a small scale in their ancestral homeland of central Mexico and Guatemala and commercially throughout Central and South America.ĭescription Chia seed measuring 2 mm Chia seeds There is evidence that the crop was widely cultivated by the Aztecs in pre-Columbian times and was a staple food for Mesoamerican cultures. The seeds are hygroscopic, absorbing up to 12 times their weight in liquid when soaked and developing a mucilaginous coating that gives chia-based foods and beverages a distinctive gel texture. Chia seeds are oval and gray with black and white spots, having a diameter around 2 millimetres (0.08 in). For the golden chia plant, see Salvia columbariae.Ĭhia seeds are the edible seeds of Salvia hispanica, a flowering plant in the mint family ( Lamiaceae) native to central and southern Mexico, or of the related Salvia columbariae of the southwestern United States and Mexico. For the chia plant, see Salvia hispanica. This article is about the edible seed of certain Salvia species. ![]()
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