AbstractGrain amaranth (Amarantbus ssp.): Cultivation, Breeding and Properties of an Old Indian PlantCurrent knowledge on evolution, systematics and biology, as well as on the status of genetic and breeding efforts on the grain‐amaranth speciesA. caudatus, A. cruentusandA, hypochondriacusare compiled. The mineral contents and nutrient composition are compared with those of wheat and maize, and the potential cultivation of these crops in Central Europe, on the basis of experimental trials, is discussed. Amaranth could become a valuable human food source in Euro