quinoa is typically consumed in the same way as the cereal grasses (wheat, oats, barley, and rye). however, quinoa is not a cereal grass at all, but rather a member of the same food family that contains spinach, swiss chard, and beets. many researchers refer to quinoa as a "pseudocereal." this term is typically used to describe foods that are not grasses but can still be easily ground into flour. the scientific name for quinoa is chenopodium quinoa .