Vegetable
Spinacia oleracea
S tier
Spinacia oleracea is true spinach—dioecious leafy green with oxalic mild earthiness, soft leaves when young, and a tendency to bolt in heat. Savoy (crinkled) and flat-leaf types both belong here; New Zealand and Malabar “spinaches” are different species. Flavour is mineral-green, sweet when baby, more robust when mature. Eat raw, wilt, cream, or soup. Species covers every true spinach cultivar listed. Keep cold and dry enough to avoid slime; cook briefly to retain colour.
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Spinach spread from Persian cultivation into wider Asian and later European diets.
Medieval Iberia helped introduce spinach into European monastic and court cookery.
Savoy and smooth spinach types diversified in European market gardens.
Canning and later freezing made spinach a mass American vegetable.