The spinach plant is native to Persia, but because it was introduced to most of Europe from Spain (where it had been brought by Arabs), it was sometimes referred to by sixteenth-century scholars as Hispanicum holus, Latin for Spanish herb. It is tempting to assume that the first part of this Latin name—Hispanicum—was simply corrupted into the English spinach, into the French espinache, into the Italian spinace, and into a dozen other names in various European languages; however, the existence of similar sounding names in Middle Eastern languages suggests that the name, as well as the plant, is Persian in origin. In all likelihood, the Persian name of the plant, isfanakh, was adopted by Arabic as isbanakh, which in turn was adopted by Spanish as espinaca. This Spanish name was then adopted by Old French as espinache, which English borrowed as spinach in the sixteenth century. Four hundred years later, in 1919, Elzie Crisler Segar made spinach the favourite food of Popeye, a cartoon sailor who supposedly derived his strength from the plant. In fact, however, Popeye likely consumed such large quantities of canned spinach because the minerals contained in spinach leaves alleviated his thyroid condition. This medical disorder is never explicitly acknowledged in the cartoon, but it may be inferred from Popeye’s bulging eye. Popeye’s name, in fact, is a close translation of the ocular condition caused by an enlarged thyroid, exophthalmos, literally meaning out-eye.
A yearly or perennial botanical specimen boasting luscious verdant foliage. When it comes to spinach, harvesting it at a tender stage and consuming it promptly thereafter is highly recommended. At this point, it becomes a valuable reservoir of vitamin C, while also serving as an exceptional source of vitamin A. Furthermore, it harbors a commendable proportion of calcium and iron. However, it is likely that these minerals are rendered inaccessible to the body due to their formation of insoluble compounds with the oxalic acid present in the plant.