Ancient amaranth grains still used to this day include the three species, Amaranthus caudatus, Amaranthus cruentus, and Amaranthus hypochondriacus. Although amaranth was (and still is) cultivated on a small scale in parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, India, and Nepal, there is potential for further cultivation in the U.S and tropical countries and it is often referred to as “the crop of the future.” It has been proposed as an inexpensive native crop that could be cultivated by indigenous people in rural areas for several reasons: it is easily harvested, it produces lots of fruit and thus seeds, which are used as grain, it is highly tolerant of arid environments, which are typical of most subtropical and some tropical regions, and its seeds contain large amounts of protein and essential amino acids, such as lysine. Amaranthus species are reported to have a 30% higher protein value than cereals, such as rice, wheat flour, oats, and rye. It requires little fuel to cook. As befits its