Chard
- "Silverbeet" redirects here. For the album by The Bats, see Silverbeet (album).
| Chard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Red chard growing at Slow Food Nation | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Subfamily: | Betoideae |
| Genus: | Beta |
| Species: | B. vulgaris |
| Subspecies: | B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris, Cicla-Group and Flavescens-Group) is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. In the Flavescens-Group-cultivars, the leaf stalks are large and are often prepared separately from the leaf blade.[2] The leaf blade can be green or reddish in color; the leaf stalks also vary in color, usually white, yellow, or red.[3] Chard has highly nutritious leaves making it a popular addition to healthful diets (like other green leafy vegetables).[4] Chard has been around for centuries, but because of its similarity to other beets and some other vegetables such as cardoon, the common names used by cooks over the centuries can be quite confusing.<ref "CAWright">"Swiss Chard". CliffordAWright.com. Retrieved January 10, 2015.</ref>
Classification
Chard was first described in 1753 by Carl von Linné as Beta vulgaris var. cicla.[5] Its taxonomic rank has changed many times, so it was treated as a subspecies, convariety or variety of Beta vulgaris.[1] The accepted name is Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris.[6][7] There are two rankless cultivar groups within this subspecies: the Cicla-Group for the leafy spinach beet, and the Flavescens-Group for the stalky Swiss chard.[1]
Chard is in the same subspecies as beetroot (garden beet) and all other beet cultivars. They are cultivated descendants of the sea beet, Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima. Chard belongs to the chenopods, which are now mostly included in the family Amaranthaceae (sensu lato).
Chard is also known by its many common names such as Swiss chard,[8] silverbeet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet, crab beet, bright lights, seakale beet, and mangold.[9] In South Africa, it is simply called spinach.[10]
Etymology
The word "chard" descends from the fourteenth-century French carde, from Latin carduus meaning artichoke thistle (or cardoon, including the artichoke).[11]
The origin of the adjective "Swiss" is unclear, since the Mediterranean plant is not native to Switzerland. Some attribute the name to it having been first described by a Swiss botanist, either Gaspard Bauhin [12] or Karl Heinrich Emil Koch[13] (although the latter was German, not Swiss).
Growth and harvesting
Chard is a biennial. Clusters of chard seeds are usually sown, in the Northern Hemisphere, between April and August, depending on the desired harvesting period. Chard can be harvested while the leaves are young and tender, or after maturity when they are larger and have slightly tougher stems. Harvesting is a continuous process, as most species of chard produce three or more crops.[14] Raw chard is extremely perishable.
Cultivars
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'.[9] The red-ribbed forms are very attractive in the garden, but as a general rule, the older green forms tend to outproduce 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 hardier leafy greens, with a harvest season typically lasting longer than kale, spinach or baby greens. When daytime temperatures start to regularly hit 30 °C (86 °F), the harvest season is coming to an end.
Culinary use
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.
In Egyptian cuisine, chard is commonly cooked with taro root and coriander in a light broth.[15]
Nutritional content
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 84 kJ (20 kcal) |
|
4.13 g | |
| Sugars | 1.1 g |
| Dietary fiber | 2.1 g |
|
0.08 g | |
|
1.88 g | |
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin A equiv. beta-carotene |
(38%) 306 μg (34%) 3652 μg11015 μg |
| Vitamin A | 6124 IU |
| Thiamine (B1) |
(3%) 0.034 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(7%) 0.086 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(2%) 0.36 mg |
|
(3%) 0.163 mg | |
| Vitamin B6 |
(7%) 0.085 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(2%) 9 μg |
| Choline |
(6%) 28.7 mg |
| Vitamin C |
(22%) 18 mg |
| Vitamin E |
(13%) 1.89 mg |
| Vitamin K |
(312%) 327.3 μg |
| Trace metals | |
| Calcium |
(6%) 58 mg |
| Iron |
(17%) 2.26 mg |
| Magnesium |
(24%) 86 mg |
| Manganese |
(16%) 0.334 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(5%) 33 mg |
| Potassium |
(12%) 549 mg |
| Sodium |
(12%) 179 mg |
| Zinc |
(3%) 0.33 mg |
| Other constituents | |
| Water | 92.65 g |
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Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database | |
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.[16] It is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber, and protein.[17]
All parts of the chard plant contain oxalic acid.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sorting Beta names at MMPND
- ↑ Librarie Larousse, ed. (1984). Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Cooking Encyclopedia. The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited.
- ↑ "Recipes for Health: Chard". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Swiss Chard". World's Healthiest Foods. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ↑ Beta vulgaris var. cicla at Tropicos, accessed 2014-02-27
- ↑ Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris at Tropicos, accessed, 2015-02-27
- ↑ Beta vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris. In: Uotila, P. (2011): Chenopodiaceae (pro parte majore). – In: Euro+Med Plantbase, accessed, 2014-02-27
- ↑ Characterization and biological activity of the main flavonoids from Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris subspecies cycla). Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy & Phytopharmacology, 01-FEB-07
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Eat with the beet, Monty Don, 9 February 2003, The Guardian
- ↑ Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, [www.nda.agric.za/docs/Brochures/prodGuideSwissChar.pdf Production guidelines for Swiss chard]. South Africa. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ↑ Chard, Online Etymological Dictionary
- ↑ Forget Hip Kale, Get Your Green Fix From Swiss Chard, Clifford Wright, Zester Daily.
- ↑ Chard, Centre for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture
- ↑ Dobbs, Liz (2012). "It's chard to beet". The Garden (Royal Horticultural Society) 137 (6): 54.
- ↑ "Recipe for Colcasia in Egyptian Cuisine". Egyptian Cuisine Recipes. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Chard". Nutritiondata.self.com. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
- ↑ "Worlds Healthiest Foods". Whfoods.com. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
External links
 |
Look up chard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chard. |
- Farmgirl Susan (Sep 26, 2007). "How To Grow Your Own Swiss Chard From Seed & Why You Should". Archived from the original on July 13, 2014.