Spinach Spinacia oleracea Both the botanical and common name for this plant are derived from the original Persian aspanakh. It is thought to have originated there; first evidence of cultivation is centered there, (before 4th century), and exiled communities from that country, such as the Parsee population around Mumbai, in India, use it a great deal in their cooking. Its journey from Persia took it through Nepal to China by the mid-7th century AD, but its journey westwards was a little slower, reaching Europe only through the Moorish occupation of Spain during the 11th century, and Britain had to wait another 500 years or so before the plant was established here. Spinach is yet another plant which started out as a medicinal aid, used as a laxative for the purgative action of the oxalic content - also found in rhubarb. In this country, it was also one of the ‘spring greens’ - young vegetable tops, nettles etc., which were eaten in the Spring to ‘clear the blood’ after a Winter of stodgy - and sometimes dodgy - food. A versatile leaf, spinach has been used as a filling for pastries, pasta and tarts, is a perfect foil for eggs in such dishes as Oeufs Florentine, and the juice is a perfect natural colouring wherever a deep green is needed. During Medieval times, spinach was also used to make sweet dishes and some food historians see the habit that some of us have acquired of adding a little nutmeg when cooking spinach as a remnant of this practice. During the middle of the last century, spinach gained a reputation of being packed with iron, and children were forced to eat it in the belief that it would build them up and make them big and strong. A cartoon character, Popeye the Sailorman, was created to back up this food propaganda. Ironically, later analysis revealed that, somewhere along the line, a food chemist had misplaced a decimal point, leading to the belief that spinach contained 10 times more iron than it actually does. However, spinach is an excellent source of beta carotene, which is converted by the body into vitamin A and a good source of vitamin B6, folic acid (very important if you are the early stages of pregnancy or even thinking about it), iron, (although absorption of this is hampered by the presence of oxalic acid, which hampers mineral absorption) and potassium. One way of helping the body to absorb the vitamins and minerals is to eat it with a sprinkling of lemon juice or with capsicums or tomatoes, all of which are rich in vitamin C, which helps the body’s uptake of iron especially. It is also a fair source of riboflavin, vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. During World War I. spinach juice was mixed with red wine and given to French soldiers who had suffered heavy blood loss and, as spinach is rich in folates which help blood formation, this may have been based on more than just old wives’ tales. Spinach is also a rich source of other carotenoids such as lutein, which have an antioxidant effect and recent research at the Harvard Medical School has indicated that a diet rich in carotenes may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, a common cause of blindness in the elderly. 100g frozen spinach, boiled = 21 kcalories, 3.1g protein, 0.5g carbohydrate, 0.3g sugars, 2.1g fibre, 150mg calcium, 1.7mg iron, 16mg sodium, 640µg vitamin A, 0.06 mg thiamin, 6mg vitamin C. 100g fresh, raw spinach = 26 kcalories, 90.7g water, 3.2g protein, 0.3g fat, 3.7 carbohydrate, 71mg sodium, 470mg potassium, 93mg calcium, 88mg magnesium, 3.1g iron, 4860µg carotene (vitamin A), 0.10mg vitamin B1, 0.20mg vitamin B2, 1.1mg niacin, 51mg vitamin C. Total folates 123µg. 100g canned, drained solids = 24 kcalories, 91.4g water, 2.7g protein, 0.6g fat, 2.7g carbohydrate, 236mg sodium, 350mg potassium, 118mg calcium, 63mg magnesium, 2.6g iron, 4800µg carotene, 0.02mg vitamin B1, 0.12mg vitamin B2, 0.3mg niacin, 14mg vitamin C.