quinoa

This term refers to both the plant and the seed, though in common culinary usage, it almost exclusively denotes the seed. It is typically treated as a mass noun when referring to the food product, similar to rice or wheat, meaning it is generally used without a plural form in recipes or dietary discussions.

Because the word originates from Quechua, pronunciation varies significantly across English dialects. Some speakers use a phonetic approximation (keen-wah), while others use a more literal reading (kwin-oh-ah). In professional culinary contexts, the former is generally preferred.