Food Ticket: eat your way to Peru with sacha inchi

Sacha inchi is a star-shaped fruit that grows on the vines of a plant native to the highlands of Peru. Under its thick outer husk are edible seeds packed with protein and vitamins, and are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 – hello important dietary fats! 

You’ll often hear sacha inchi seeds referred to as the bush peanut, mountain peanut, or Inca peanut – but they are not actually botanically related to the peanut at all. Its taste is similar to almond, and while it is not classified as a nut, sacha inchi can be enjoyed like so – tossed in salads and trail mix, or enjoyed on its own, roasted with a bit of salt. Sacha inchi is a particularly great source of nutrients for those who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. 

Sacha inchi oil – which is extracted by cold pressing the seeds – has also been hailed for its moisturising and skin rejuvenating properties. Thanks to its natural emollients and fatty acids, its benefits include reducing the appearance of fine lines and spots.

You can find sacha inchi seeds at Vivefood, and the oil at Organic & Nature and Nibbles Shop. The powder is a great and convenient addition to throw into smoothies too and can be purchased from iHerb. For those who want to reap this superfood’s skin-plumping benefits, luxury French cosmetics and skincare brand Clarins has two products in its line that contain the restorative properties of sacha inchi.