Top: English Spinach; Bottom: Chinese Spinach, Amaranth (White)
If you see someone some day in the grocery store, picking up a packet of spinach and staring at that packet, looking head-to-tail of the vegetable, from the leaves to the stems to the roots, go into deep thoughts while holding on to that packet AND worst of all, returning that packet back to that same shelf it had belonged to (not buying it)...errmmm..errmmmm....that person might be ME, yours truly. How precious is time, yes and I have wasted it.
Easily, that most common vegetable you get to see may not be that "easy" after all. SPINACH. So, when I throw out this word, what do you think of? Easy baby! Baby spinach! Or ok, other spinaches? Oh gawd, I can be confused. Or am I just trying to confuse you and myself ?
Both spinaches. Yes. But with different names. There is even a Red Variety of Chinese Amarath (Spinach) - 苋菜 that does not appear in the photo above.
Both spinaches. Yes. Stems different.
Top: Chinese Spinach; Bottom: English Spinach
Both spinaches. Yes. Leaves different.
Top: Chinese Spinach; Bottom: English Spinach
Then there is dear Baby Spinach which looks like the baby of English Spinach ?
All spinaches. Yes. Nutrition content different. That is the last thing on my mind now. Yes. some say Chinese Spinach has double the amount of iron compared to English spinach. Needs further evidence, yea. Period.
I like using Baby Spinach because they are so much "cleaner" and makes an easy task of rinsing/washing during preparations. I really hate washing English and Chinese Spinach - there is always so much grit ! Need at least 3 changes of water to clean them well or a big big deep sink! But I admit they taste different and I do enjoy all of these spinaches.
Now I shall let you do the research and tell me which variety does Popeye eat? *snigger*
For now, I could do good with a Italian Sausage and Baby Spinach Omelette!
Recipe in 2008, using Baby Spinach
Recipe in 2007, using English Spinach
How about some Spinach craze, sharing some light on the different spinach around.... at Weekend Herb Blogging with Haalo at Cook Almost Anything.
Tag: english spinach, chinese spinach , baby spinach, spinach
Hahaha! You've got a great sense of humour. I know what you mean about marketing within the comfort zone. But take heart that I am one of those that picks up fruit and vegetables, stare and study, and then put back. So that makes the 2 of us! ;) I like locally grown spinach - the chinese type. There is a brand sold in SG that is grown by hydroponics. Those are really clean. The wet market variety is always so sandy.
ReplyDeleteJu, hydroponics spinach? really? which brand is that? *excited*
ReplyDeleteI only saw Zenxin brand, and quite sandy also!
I thought the head of spinach was purple-redish? As it's also called "红嘴绿鹦哥“ in Chinese.
ReplyDeleteAngie, huh? is that another variety?
ReplyDeleteI tried using "红嘴绿鹦哥" to look for some images and it seems that it is similar to English spinach. Or maybe it is the Chinese Amarath (Spinach) - Red Variety. Hahhaa.I DON"T KNOW! ;p
Hahaha... you're so funny. I was always wondering which is the spinach Popeye ate when I was young, but I've outgrown it & couldn't be bothered when I was older... haha :D
ReplyDeleteI ate a new kinda spinach with italian pizza earlier this week ~ rocket spinach. Eaten raw, it has a savoury, meaty fragrance, and is slightly bitter, which is nice (like bitterness in ginseng). When cooked, the bitterness disappears & the leaves cling onto each other into a soft lump, like English spinach.
Ha! I think Popey just ate canned spinach!
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm reaching for new things in the produce dept! I even tried Kale! (It's a southern new years thing) But I agree, buying baby spinach is easier just for the convenience factor. It does get confusing when the same thing has different names too. I'll be on the search for new and different spinach! :) Thanks!
I agree that spinach can be a pain to rinse, there is so much water involved in the process. Great to know the difference, I don't think I've ever seen Chinese spinach before.
ReplyDeletehow timely, I was gonna write a spinach recipe. u know, at any one time, there are like 6 different types of spinach at NTUC - like round spinach, sharp spinach, China spinach, puay leng, baby spinach etc... and I know NTUC sometimes label veggies wrongly. really headache when choosing it :p
ReplyDeleteI like to go to the Vietnamese market and play a guessing game with all the different spinaches and herbs there; at my local supermarket the veggies are depressed and limp and I don't bother with them, buy them frozen
ReplyDeleteI don't use spinach too often. I don't know why, cause actually i really like it. Hmmm... now i feel like making a spinach and cheese omelette lol.
ReplyDelete*kisses* HH
I can't tell the difference :P But now I can but may forget tomorrow...LOL I love this type of spinach but can only get at Chinese shops....strange huh..even though it's called English spinach.
ReplyDeletehi hi just a quick one for now..left an award for you. completely optional to pick up or not :) cheers!
ReplyDeleteHaha I love this post. I agree that washing spinach is a pain. Sometimes I cop out and buy prewashed leaves. shhh!
ReplyDeleteUh, doesn't Popeye eat canned spinach? Which doesn't make any sense, either. I mean, who would want to eat spinach in a can when we have so much great FRESH spinach around. Poor Popeye. Someone needs to take him to a farmers market. ;)
ReplyDeleteMsMoon, you definitely do more thinking! I never even thought of the spinach that Popeye eats when I
ReplyDeletewas young ;P
lyndsey, kale kale! I like them too :) ..happy searching and shopping, lady!
Fresh Local and Best, Chinese spinach is quite good in soups :)
wiffy, not only NTUC...cold storage too. Hee heee.
Round spinach? Sharp spinach?
Puay leng seems to be the English Spinach I have here. Happily getting confused!
Not only we have similar cooking styles and taste, we have similar interests for getting confused in the supermarket too! LOL!
Taste of Beirut, I hate limp vegetables, then I will get depressed.
HH, make me that omelette please!
Mary, yes yes....I have that problem too! I can't remember!
petite nyonya, thanks :)
Dailychef, with baby spinach, less issues. MOst of pre-washed anyway so all I need to do it just a quick rinse. Yay!
Carolyn, hahhaa....let's take him, shall we?
Doing your PhD on spinach are ya?
ReplyDeleteI don't cook spinach much because of the aftertaste in the mouth. Not to mention the constant rinsing to clean the leaves the stems from soil and dirt. Occasionally, I'd buy a small prewashed baby spinach for salads. Of course I still wash them but they're less hassle free to clean then the ones with roots.
ReplyDeletesamuel, yah! ;p
ReplyDeletexiao yen, same for me too. I seldom buy spinach (though I like them) for the same reason of not wanting those "rinsing" work.
I love this post! So humorous.
ReplyDeleteI really need to use spinach more. Thanks for the ideas!
I've gotten so much better at stepping out of my comfort zone since visiting your blog and others. I do however, spend way too much time in the produce section when choosing a package of spinach. Thankfully, the locally grown farm stands are sprouting up everywhere and I expect fresh spinach any day now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this wealth of info tigerfish...
P.S. When Popeye made his debut on January 17, 1929, spinach became the third most popular children's food after turkey and ice cream.
You have both sexied and unsexied the spinach for me in one single post! hahaha. I hate all that dirt on the spinach too! *shakes fist*
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of baby spinach too as it is so easy to use!
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried all of these different kinds of spinach. I get tired of eating the same veggies every week but I do love my favorites!
ReplyDeleteGreat post - loved this explaining the different types of spinach - very confusing at times. Do you use them interchangeably or do you find certain spinaches better for certain dishes?
ReplyDeleteThis is great! Love your informative posts =)
ReplyDeleteAnd I like the fishcake spinach idea too. Maybe I'll make that this week....
You can never have too much spinach - thanks for taking part in WHB!
ReplyDeleteThere are dishes where I love spinach..and there are those where I don't like spinach..
ReplyDeleteHow cute to read a post on "spinach lesson" .. :P I do believe there are a few more types of spinach found in the markets. I know the the ones I usually buy are of both different variety you have posted. One which I would use either stir fried with garlic or do a soup with ikan billis. The other I would used in a balsamic vinegar salad type.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I should try spinach in omelet, I think we will like this.
ReplyDeleteOne year later, another gal was standing at the NTUC veggies for half an hour trying to find out what the heck is round/sharp/chinese spinach on her phone. Before this, she thought there's only one type of spinach. the one that popeye eats. Now you have make it clearer to me. :D love your humour
ReplyDelete