Tap Your Inner Popeye this National Spinach Day

Did you know that March 26th is National Spinach Day?

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It’s true, although It sounds like every kid’s worst nightmare. Admittedly, we were picky about our greens when we were young as well, but we’ve learned to love this delicious and nutritious superfood!

We want to celebrate our fondness for spinach and this special holiday by taking a closer look at this versatile leafy vegetable.

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Thought to have originated in ancient Persia, spinach was brought by industrious traders to India and then Nepal. From there, spinach made it to China. The first written evidence of spinach in China dates all the way back to 647 A.D. Known as 菠菜 (bocai) in modern Chinese, the ancient plant used to be known as 博斯菜 (bosicai), meaning – you guessed it – Persian vegetable!

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Sorry, we’re geeking out here. We’re absolutely fascinated by the etymology and study of food history!

Image via The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Giphy

Spinach continued to make its way around the world after that, popping up in Italy by 829 A.D., Spain in the 12th century, and England and France in the 1300s. Spinach was even mentioned in the first English cookbook known to historians – The Forme of Cury – where it was spelled “spinnedge” and “spynoches.”

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By 2016, world production of spinach hit an astounding 26.7 million tons, with China accounting for 92% of production!

Modified with images found via wikipedia.org and flickr.com

The East is green!

What’s your favourite way to consume this super healthy veggie option (chock full of vitamin a, vitamin c, vitamin k, magnesium, manganese, iron, folate, b vitamins, vitamin e, calcium, potassium, and fiber)?

Stir-Fried?