Spinach

VegetableLeafy-greenMildEarthyVegetalSlightly-bitterTender

Nutrition (per 100 g)

Calories: 23
Protein (g): 2.9
Fat (g): 0.4
Carbs (g): 3.6
Fiber (g): 2.2
Sodium (mg): 79

Low in calories with modest protein and fiber; high water content means cooked portions shrink.

Storage

Room temp: up to 0 days
Refrigerated: up to 5 days
Frozen: up to 180 days

Spinach is a tender, dark green leafy vegetable with oval to arrow-shaped leaves and thin stems. Its flavor is mild and slightly mineral, and the leaves turn silky as they wilt. Eat it raw in salads, or cook it quickly by sauteing, steaming, or folding into pastas, eggs, and soups. Sold as baby leaves in bags or clamshells and as mature bunches.

Domesticated in ancient Persia, spinach spread through the Middle East to Europe via Arab trade, then to Asia and the Americas. It anchors dishes in Mediterranean, South Asian, and East Asian cuisines and grows as a cool-season crop in temperate regions, often harvested quickly for tenderness.