Chia (Salvia hispanica) is an annual flowering herb in the Lamiaceae family native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. It grows upright with square stems, opposite leaves, and spikes of small flowers, but it is the tiny mottled seeds that are most widely used. When soaked, the seeds develop a distinctive gel-like coating.
Historically associated with Mesoamerican food culture, chia has long been valued as a sustaining seed for drinks, porridges, and portable foods. In modern use it remains best known for soaked preparations, where its mucilaginous texture makes it useful in beverages, puddings, and other simple household recipes.
