Spinach was unknown to the ancient Mediterranean world. Spinach originated in Persia as a wild plant. It has been cultivated in China and many areas of the other areas of Asia and the Middle East for at least 2,000 years.
The first references to spinach are from Sasanian Persia (226-640 AD), and it was known that in 647 AD spinach was taken from Nepal to China. It arrived in China during the Tang dynasty (618 to 907 AD), along the great Silk Road.
One of the first brought into China, spinach as initially called the ‘Persian vegetable’ because of its origin, then the ‘red root vegetable’ due to its appearance.
The first written work evidence of spinach was medical works by Rhazes, while the other by two agricultural treatises.
In the eleventh century, the Moors introduced the spinach into Spain. One of the great Arab agronomist described spinach as the ‘prince of leafy greens’. However, Moors called it ‘hispanach’ or Spanish plant.
The first notice of its being used as an edible substance in Europe occurs in the year of 1351.
It was then introduced to English garden in 1548.
Origin of Spinach
The Most Popular Posts
-
Hippocrates of Cos, a Greek physician already renowned by the time of Plato and Aristotle, remains an elusive historical figure despite his ... -
Muffin recipes first began to appear in print in the mid 18th century and quickly caught on. The word muffin is derived from the French word... -
The sunflower is a wild-flower that are native to both North and South America, where indigenous people were the first to cultivate them. I... -
Blueberries have long been a crucial staple for Indigenous peoples in North America, serving as an important food source throughout the year... -
Food preservation methods such as drying, smoking, freezing, marinating, salting and pickling had their beginnings thousands of years ago. T...