Nuchia Foods

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By James H. BrownChía is a generic term used to describe a variety of unique

plants of Mesoamerica and the American Southwest. All

species of “Chía” are members of the cosmopolitan mint

family, Lamiaceae, and some are known as “sage”.

Different species of Chía can be found from southern

California to the high tableland of Mexico and further

south through Central America into northern South America. Chía species can be found from California on the western coast of the USA ranging east into western Texas.

The specific “Chía” of this report is Salvia hispanica L., [sometimes known as Salvia Chía (Gillet)], an annual herb, whose grains are about 2 mm. long, oval, and brown to black with irregular, dark red-brown markings. Interspersed is fully mature Chía grain without pigmentation (white Chía). It is cultivated on deep, sandy clay soils. Chía has been cultivated in Mexico by the Aztec and their descendants (McVaugh) since well before the conquering Spanish recorded its use and benefits in the Florentine Codex (Anderson). Linguistic use of the word “Chía” by the Aztec as a root word to describe something with an oily character (Chíactic), something greasy (Chíaoacaio), something having “serious fluids” (Chíauizaio) is further evidence of a long and continuous use of Chía within this society (Truman). Small family farms in Jalisco still produce Chía, albeit on an irregular basis and usually intercropped with a commodity crop such as corn. Chía is cultivated commercially in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru.
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