Chenopod cuisines: Spatial and temporal explorations of Chenopodium use across the western hemisphere

Charred Chenopodium or goosefoot seeds are often among the most ubiquitous taxa at archaeological sites globally, though our knowledge of their use in past societies varies by region. Researchers have long recognized the Andes, Mexico, and Eastern North America as centers of domestication and cultivation, though much remains unknown about genera and species diversity and people-plant interactions. Building on this work, scholars across the western hemisphere have also come to recognize these seeds as more than environmental disturbances to actively explore the ways chenopods functioned within past socio-economies as potentially managed and meaningful plants. The Americas are geographically, culturally, and biologically diverse, and many questions still remain regarding chenopod use and consumption. We welcome case studies or synthetic papers that highlight and reframe the ways chenopods functioned in the past and present, adding to continental and global conversations surrounding this versatile genus.