Maca a New Superfood

Before maca root became a hip “new” superfood, it was farmed and consumed in the Peruvian Andes for centuries. Written accounts of maca date back as far as the 1500s, with Spanish colonizers documenting the use of maca by native Peruvians for maintaining their health and improving fertility. It wouldn’t be until the 1990s that the outside world began to understand the value of maca root as a health supplement, resulting in a boom in popularity. But even as demand rose, the Peruvian government took steps to protect this culturally significant product. Let’s take a look at some of the ways Peruvians have historically harvested and prepared one of their most significant exports.

The Tradition of Maca 

What first comes to mind when you think of Peru? You probably learned a bit about Inca culture in school; or, if you’re a soccer fan, you may be familiar with legendary player Teofilo Cubillas. Ceviche is now a popular dish, and you’ve no doubt heard of the Amazon river.

Maca root has been a steady fixture in Peruvian cuisine for at least 2000 years. It’s been associated with many benefits, including increased fertility, improved bone strength, and improving overall mood in addition to providing much-needed boosts of energy.

Our organic fair trade maca root comes from the Junin area of Peru, where it’s farmed and harvested sustainably by experts who show the land a great deal of care and respect. Fields are given time to rest and recuperate between harvests, ensuring that the land remains fertile for years to come.

Though today you can choose between purchasing red maca, black maca, or yellow maca root products, historically maca would have been consumed as a tricolor mix. This tricolor preparation is now considered traditional or “heritage harvest” maca. Our tricolor maca is made up of 40% yellow, 30% red, and 30% black maca root, and it’s a great way to get the benefits associated with all three colors of maca. But whatever maca formulation you choose from our site, one thing to remember is this: you’ll always be guaranteed a product that’s 100% maca root. 

Our Tricolor Maca

Whether you’re choosing to purchase our powdered raw tricolor maca or gelatinized tricolor maca root vegan capsules, our maca products are harvested at the end of the maca season and sun dried before being prepared and packaged for your consumption. We want to be sure that you’re getting the freshest maca root possible, free of pesticides and GMOs and not adulterated in any way.

Our premium maca root products differ from the others in just a few ways - namely, they’re dehydrated immediately after harvesting. You can try our premium tricolor maca root extract if you’re looking for a quick, easy way to incorporate maca into your routine - a few drops (serving size varies by individual) held beneath the tongue in the morning ensures that it’s absorbed and processed by your body quickly. If you don’t mind the taste of maca, you can also purchase our premium tricolor maca powder in a variety of sizes.

Maca Recipes

Peruvians have found numerous ways to work maca into their diets over the years, and some of our farmers have been kind enough to share traditional recipes with us at TheMacaTeam.com. This includes a delicious porridge recipe known as Mazamorra de Maca as well as Chicha de Maca, both of which have been made for hundreds of years. However you choose to prepare your maca, we hope you’ll find that it provides you with the benefits cited by men and women from the days of the Incan Empire all the way to modern times.

Enjoy the day!