"Silverbeet" redirects here. For the album by The Bats, see Silverbeet (album).

Chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla),^[1] is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. While the leaves are always green, chard stalks vary in color. ^[3] Chard has been bred to have highly nutritious leaves at the expense of the root (which is not as nutritious as the leaves). ^[4] Chard is, in fact, considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables available and a valuable addition to a healthy diet (not unlike other green leafy vegetables). ^[5] Chard has been around for centuries, however because of its similarity to beets is difficult to determine the exact evolution of the different varieties of chard. ^[6]

Classification

Chard and the other beets are chenopods, a group which is either its own family Chenopodiaceae or a subfamily within the Amaranthaceae. Although the leaves are eaten, it is in the same group and subfamily as beetroot (garden beet), which is usually grown primarily for its edible roots. Chard is also known by its many common names such as Swiss chard,^[7] silverbeet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet, crab beet, bright lights (due to the bright and vivid spring colors when they are cooked or provided as a medley of vegetables), seakale beet, and mangold and is one of the cultivated descendants of the sea beet, Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima.^[8]

Etymology

Swiss chard growing in New Jersey at a nursery.

The word "Swiss" was used to distinguish chard from French spinach varieties by 19th century seed catalog publishers. The chard is very popular among Mediterranean cooks. The first varieties have been traced back to Sicily.

Growth and harvesting

Chard can be harvested while the leaves are young and tender, or after maturity, when they are larger and have slightly tougher stems. Raw chard is extremely perishable.

Cultivars

Swiss chard on sale at an outdoor market

Cultivars of chard include green forms, such as 'Lucullus' and 'Fordhook Giant', as well as red-ribbed forms such as 'Ruby Chard' and 'Rhubarb Chard'.^[8] The red-ribbed forms are very attractive in the garden, but as a rough general rule, the older green forms will tend to out-produce the colorful hybrids. 'Rainbow Chard' is a mix of other colored varieties that is often mistaken for a variety unto itself.

Chard has shiny, green, ribbed leaves, with petioles that range from white to yellow to red, depending on the cultivar.

Chard is a spring harvest plant. In the Northern Hemisphere, chard is typically ready to harvest as early as April and lasts through May. Chard is one of the more hearty leafy greens, with a harvest season typically lasting longer than kale, spinach or baby greens. When day-time temperatures start to regularly hit 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the harvest season is coming to an end.

Culinary use

Chard sauteed with garlic and leeks

Chard has a slightly bitter taste and is used in a variety of cultures around the world, including Arab cuisine.

Fresh young chard can be used raw in salads. Mature chard leaves and stalks are typically cooked (like in pizzoccheri) or sauteed; their bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a refined flavor which is more delicate than that of cooked spinach.

Nutritional content

Swiss chard is high in vitamins A, K and C, with a 175 g serving containing 214%, 716%, and 53%, respectively, of the recommended daily value.^[9] It is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber and protein.^[10]

Members of the Saurian clade of reptiles (specifically Iguana iguana) sometimes consume chard for its iron content: the stalk retains more iron compounds than the leaves, hence their rosy color.^{[citation needed]}

All parts of the chard plant contain oxalic acid.

See also

• Mangelwurzel

References

Look up chard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Beta vulgaris