Salvia Hispanica
Original image by Krzysztof Ziarnek, license

A fascinating seed from the New World, chia is packed with fiber, good carbs, and plenty of nutrition. If you’ve tried them, you know these tiny seeds deliver a serious energy boost. Unlike sugary snacks, though, the energy from chia seeds is steady and reliable - no crashes here.

In baking, these seeds work much like flaxseed, adding moisture and binding ingredients together. They make a solid egg substitute while boosting the fiber and nutritional content of your recipes. I often pair them with or swap them for flaxseed in bread, especially when a flour mix feels too starchy. Chia seeds are full of fiber and lend a heartier, whole-grain texture to baked goods.

These tiny black and grey seeds come from the salvia hispanica plant, which is native to Mexico and South America. A member of the mint family, chia has nourished humans in the Americas for thousands of years.

A little bit of history

Chia has been cultivated in the Americas for thousands of years, with its name rooted in indigenous languages. The Aztecs called the plant "chia" or "chian," and Spanish colonists adopted and applied the term to other regional plants with similar uses. Today, "chia" typically refers to salvia hispanica, the main species grown for seeds, and originally domesticated by the indigenous peoples of Mexico and South America. But it can also refer to salvia columbariae, and other less domesticated strains, which were also traditionally used for food and medicine.

For the Aztecs and other peoples of Mexico, chia was a dietary staple, second only to corn and beans. It was so valuable that it featured prominently in the tribute system of the Aztec Empire, with seeds recorded as taxes owed to Tenochtitlan in the Aztec Codices.[source] The seeds were prized as an energy source, fueling warriors and travelers alike.

When soaked in water, chia seeds create a gel-like substance, which was valued for anti-inflamatory properties. This quality made them useful beyond food. They were traditionally used by Native Americans and colonists alike as a poultice for fevers, eye irritation, and wounds.[source]

Unfortunately, while the Spanish documented the existence of chia, and would use it in a pinch, it never became a major part of the colonists' diets. As a result, the seed was all but forgotten outside of the native communities who had always used it. It was not until the 1990's that the seed was successfully marketed to the general public as the valuable crop and health food it is.[source]

Flax flower

Flaxseed plays a key role in my gluten-free baking by adding fiber and protein, as well as a nutritional punch. It also does wonderful things for the texture of gluten-free dough. When exposed to moisture, flaxseed produces a gel-like substance. This gel acts as a natural binder, offering the much-needed stretch and structure that gluten-free flours often lack. I use flaxseed in both my sourdough and my brown bread recipes, and it is one of my go-to ingredients for improving the texture of my baked goods.

Additionally, this seed works well as an egg substitute. To replace an egg in baking, mix one tablespoon of flaxseed with three tablespoons of warm water. After a few minutes, the mixture will transform into a jelly-like binder. It's a handy trick when you’re out of eggs or if prices skyrocket again!

I have never used flaxseed all by itself, so I cannot speak to its independent qualities. It is a seed as opposed to a grain, and I have never mustered the courage to try one of those "no grain bread" recipes. Grains are just too much a part of bread for me. But while I’ve never used flaxseed alone in baking, its role as a supporting ingredient enhances the overall texture and structure of my gluten-free breads, making it indispensable as a supplement.

Ancient uses of flaxseed

Flaxseed, also known as linseed, has a long history of human use. Primarily cultivated for its fibers and linseed oil, flax has been a staple since prehistoric times. One of the oldest found instances of people using flax comes from a site in Georgia (the country, not the U.S. state), dated to 30,000 years ago, consisting of flax fibers woven into rope.[source] In more "recent" history, flax was woven into linen, which was the fabric of the ancient world. But while flax's role in textile production is well-documented, its culinary uses in the ancient world are more obscure.

There is widespread archaeological evidence of flaxseed storage, but clear examples of its use in food are lacking. The trouble is, the ancients did not leave us labels on their forgotten flaxseed stores for what their intended purpose was. Were they meant to be next year's crop? Earmarked for later oil production? Or baked into bread? [source] That being said, historical records from ancient texts provide some clues.

Culinary and Medicinal

In the Deipnosophistae, Athenaeus quotes the much older work, the poetry of Alcman from the 7th century B.C. and describes a dish which he calls Chrysocolla made from flaxseeds and honey. [source] There are no notes on how to prepare this dish in the tiny fragment of Alcman which Athenaeus preserved, but I did find one person's recipe on the Pass the Flamingo blog. This recreated Chrysocolla recipes involves making a hard candy by cooking the honey and adding whole flaxseeds.

Interestingly, this idea of boiled honey and flaxseeds also appears in Dioscorides' De Materia Medica. He is writing from a medicinal or herbal perspective, but suggests that flaxseed with boiled honey is good for all kinds of inflammation and coughs. [source] Pliny the Elder, writing slightly later in the 1st century A.D. also offhandedly mentions that some country people eat a "pleasant" or "sweet" dish made with flaxseeds.[source] Could it have been the same thing?

That said, most of ancient Greco-Roman literature considered flaxseeds to be a seldom-taken health food, not a dietary staple. Medieval European literature followed in their footsteps, mainly interested in the medicinal aspects of flaxseed. One of the main complaints against flaxseed was that it is "difficult to digest."[source] To be fair, the seed has great fiber content, so they were not wrong! But sometimes that "hard to digest" fiber can be a good thing.

Pumpkins n' Pies

For gluten-free baking enthusiasts and garden lovers: discover delicious, from-scratch recipes featuring sourdough, whole foods, and most importantly – pie! Explore gardening tips from east-central Illinois, along with a byte of code for fellow developers.
 © 2025 Abhishek & Miriam Chaturvedi