Genuine spinach (Spinacia oleracea), also vegetable spinach, garden spinach or briefly spinach mentioned, is one to the fox tail plants (Amaranthaceae) belonging kind from the kind spinach (Spinacia). Traditionally it together with other kinds in that in former times than independently treated family of the goose foot plants (Chenopodiaceae) summarized.

The genuine spinach is well-known only as cultivated vegetable plant. Game occurrence does not give it from it, the tendency too verwildern is very small. The two other well-known kinds of spinach, Spinacia tetranda Stev. and Spinacia turkestanica Iljin., are wild-increasing plants, which occur in parts of Anterior Asia and the western central Asia.

Appearance

Spinach is a one year's krautige plant and has typical, lanzett to strongly green sheets, which are clearly curved between the Blattrippen. He belonged to the long tag plants and turns into from June to Septembers with weak Rosettenbildung fast for bloom formation. Beside male and female plants also mix-sexual exists. The fruit has a stachelige covering, with which it, Kletten gets stuck comparably, in the animal skin and so one spreads. Those about 50 culture places reach a height of 20 to 30 centimeters. They are in such a way and harvested that they receive only short tag conditions, which promotes the training of the Blattrosetten and which bloom formation reduces.

Contents materials

Spinach has a high content of minerals, Vitaminen also pro Vitamin A mentioned, Vitamine of the B-group, Vitamin C) and protein. It possesses within the kinds of vegetable a high content of iron, which maintained until today still occasionally, unusually high possesses spinach however non of Swiss physiologist Gustav of Bunge 1890 the value correctly had computed, but referred its data to dried spinach, however later erroneously fresh spinach was attributed, which consists about 90% of water. 100 gram fresh spinach contain thus average 3.5 Milligramm iron and not unusual 35 Milligramm. Spinach continues to contain oxalic acid and enriches above average much nitrate from the soil, particularly if it is not pulled in the open land.

The contents materials in detail (all data refer to 100 gram fresh spinach):

• Energy content: 20 kcal/85 kJ
• Water: 92.7 per cent
• Protein: 2.5 gram
• Coal hydrates: 1.6 gram
• Ballast materials: 1.2 gram
• Fat: 0.4 gram
• Oxalic acid: 800 Milligramm
• Carotinoide: 0.7 Milligramm
• Vitamin B1: 0.1 Milligramm
• Vitamin B2: 0.2 Milligramm
• Nicotine acid (Vitamin B3): 0.6 Milligramm
• Vitamin B6: 0.2 Milligramm
• Vitamin C: 40-150 Milligramm
• Vitamin E: 2.5 Milligramm
• Iron: 3-4 Milligramm
• Potassium: 450 Milligramm
• Calcium: 130 Milligramm
• Copper: 0.1 Milligramm
• Magnesium: 23 Milligramm
• Sodium: 65 Milligramm
• Phosphorus: 45 Milligramm
• Zinc: 0.22 Milligramm

History

A forerunner of the spinach well-known with us had been cultivated in Persia as "„ispanag "“and of the Arabs as "„isbanah "“to Spain was probably brought. There became for the first time in 9. Century of it reports. In Spain the name changed itself too "„espinaca "“. In Central Europe mentioned it in 13. Century for the first time Albertus Magnus: "„It exceeds announces, possesses sheets, away-Erich-similar blooms and stachelige fruits. "“. In the Mainzer Hortus Sanitatis of 1485 it is regarded still as welfare plant. The Botaniker Leonhart fox called it 1543 in its herb book "„Spinachia "“and wrote: "„Spinach or Spinet also Beynetsch genent"… on Arab Hispanach"… as Hispanachkraut, perhaps darumb, that it from Hispania erstlich in other nation was brought"… you hielft with digesting disturbances and is also outwardly used. "“. At this time spinach was already far common and displaced as vegetables in the Middle Ages liked appreciably, used garden-announces. Today genuine spinach is cultivated world-wide, with exception of the Tropics, in Europe particularly in Italy, France and Germany.

Spinach in the kitchen

Depending upon sowing date one differentiates between the tender spring and summer spinach (harvest from September to November), which can be eaten also as salad, and which stronger, langstieligen autumn and winter spinach (harvest from March to May), which are always cooked. Machine-harvested spinach comes with roots into the trade (root spinach), the more expensive, handharvested without (sheet spinach), which has however no influence on the quality. 85% of the spinach harvest from the foodstuffs industry to canned goods (usually chilled) and finished courts processed. The annual per-capita consumption of spinach lies in Germany with approximately 800 gram.

For the preparation of fresh spinach it should be thoroughly washed first and freed from the handles. The time is very short, five to ten minutes is sufficient. The simplest preparation is to give and refine covered under occasional agitating it still wet without further liquid addition to a pot, until it collapsed. Subsequently, it can after taste with e.g. Salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil to be tasted. With this kind of the preparation also most contents materials remain. For the raw spinach with cooking water is expressed, chopped or and depending upon prescription with further added like angeschwitzten bulbs, Kraftsauce, butter, and cream supplemented. A popular spice is Muskatnuss. In the German kitchen spinach becomes traditionally accompanied by eggs (when fried egg or lost egg) and serves potatoes.

In order to moderate both the easily metallic-bitter, somewhat astringent taste and to reduce the nitrate content (in order 40-70%), spinach before the further preparation can be blanchiert, whereby it loses in addition, a part of its other contents materials.

Since with raw as with cooked spinach the contained nitrate is converted with the time bacterially to nitrite and afterwards to poisonous Nitrosaminen, it should as freshly as possible verzehrt to become. The recommendation not to warm spinach courts up originates however from the time before the invention of the refrigerator. It should be prepared nevertheless roughly within two days and be kept cooked only one day.

Spinach becomes also the green coloring of other food like e.g. Noodles uses. In addition it is converted first to spinach mat. Spinach continues to serve also for the production of chlorophyll, which is added and smell-binding products.

Special celebrity attained spinach with the Comic hero Popeye, which would over-creep by the consumption of dose spinach forces to have acquired was. This effect could not be confirmed however so far nourish-scientifically.

Cultivation

Cultivated area (Germany)

Stood November 2004

• 3,433 hectars

Neighbour in the Mischkultur

Plants get along with different neighbour, those directly adjacent grow differently well:

Good neighbours

• Strawberry
• Potato
• Kohl
• Kohlrabi
• Radish
• Radish
• Sellerie
• Stangenbohne
• Tomato

Bad neighbours

• Mangold

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