Spinach
Spinach comes from a central and southwestern Asian gene center where it may have originated from Spinacia tetranda, which is still gathered as a wild edible green in Anatolia. Spinach was unknown to the ancient Mediterranean world.
The diffusion of spinach into the Mediterranean was almost certainly the result of Arab ingenuity. Spinach, which does not grow well in hot weather, was successfully cultivated in the hot and arid Mediterranean climate by Arab agronomists through the use of sophisticated irrigation techniques probably as early as the eighth century A.D. The first references to spinach are from Sasanian Persia (about 226-640 A.D.) and we know that in 647 it was taken from Nepal to China where it was, and still is, known as the "Persian green." The first written evidence of spinach in the Mediterranean are in three tenth-century works, the medical work by al-Razi (known as Rhazes in the West) and in two agricultural treatises, one by Ibn Wahshiya and the other by Qustus al-Rumi.
Spinach became a popular vegetable in the Arab Mediterranean and arrived in Spain by the latter part of the twelfth century where the great Arab agronomist Ibn al-'Awwam called it the "captain of leafy greens." Spinach was also the subject of a special treatise in 1074 by Ibn Hajjaj, which was included in the Book of Agriculture (1085) written by Ibn Basal, gardener to the Sultan of Toledo. From there it is introduced to Europe. Albert Magnus writes of the prickly seeded form of Spinach in Germany around 1260. Leonhard Fuchs in De historia stirpium (1545) writes of "Spinachia" as a Spanish vegetable that; "scorns barren areas but grows very happily wherever planted.”
When spinach reached Provence it also became a popular vegetable, behind cabbage. Spinach is mentioned frequently as part of the fifteenth century Provençal ortolagia, the vegetable production of the garden. In the seventeenth century, the famous English philosopher John Locke reports having had a spinach and herb soup during his travels in southwestern France.
In Anatolia, spinach was known by the thirteenth century, if not earlier, and served with meat and covered in garlic-yogurt sauce, a dish that was popular with the Seljuk Turks. The Italians were important for promoting the role this new vegetable played in the Mediterranean diet, as they favored spinach along with several other new vegetables both from the Old and New Worlds, in their gardens beginning in the thirteenth century. In Venice, cooks integrated Muslim flavoring techiques in dishes known as saur which were enriched with pine nuts and sultanas (a Turkish variety of golden raisins).
Since the early 19th century, spinach has been a versatile and commonly used vegetable in the United States. During the Second World War, French soldiers weakened by hemorrhage were given wine fortified with spinach. It can be a blood cleanser for those suffering from skin eruptions and itchy skin.
Spinach is high in fibre and rich in carotenoids, which are antioxidants that protect against cancer of the stomach, breast and prostate. Spinach is low in calories and is also a good source of iron and essential nutrients such as vitamins A , C, and minerals. Spinach also contains 3 grams of protein per serving.
A new study suggest that diets featuring spinach, spirulina, and blueberries may reduce ischemic stroke-induced brain damage, which occurs when the arteries are blocked by a blood clot, impeding the oxygen supply to the brain. The anti-inflammatory substances in this combination may also attribute damage control by reducing the inflammation-induced injury caused by a stroke.
significant nutritional content:
vitamins A, C, K, iron, niacin, zinc, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, copper, maganese, chlorophyll, carotenoids, and protein |
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FRUITS
Apples
Bananas
Coconut
Mango
Oranges
Peaches
Strawberries
VEGETABLES
Beets
Carrots
Celery
Cucumber
Garlic
Ginger
Parsley
Spinach
Spirulina
Wheatgrass |
