Botany – What kind of plant is this?
Chard belongs to the Amaranth family and is related to sugar beet. Its long-stemmed leaves, up to 30 cm long, are slightly curled or wavy. The stems are white, yellow, red, or orange, and the leaves are light to dark green. The entire plant, except for the root, is edible.
Swiss chard contains many valuable vitamins and minerals. However, it is best eaten cooked or steamed, as the plants also contain oxalic acid, which is reduced by cooking.
Steamed or as a gratin, chard is considered a culinary highlight among connoisseurs.
Cultural history – How did chard come to us?
Chard is a vegetable steeped in history: an ancestor of chard is said to have been cultivated in the Mediterranean as early as the time of Christ's birth.
In Germany, however, the vegetable was first mentioned in herbal books from the 16th century onwards. In the following years, it became increasingly popular. Especially in the warmer seasons, it was considered a good alternative to spinach, as spinach doesn't grow in summer. However, with the introduction of frozen spinach, demand for chard declined sharply. For a while, it was only available in well-stocked health food stores or farmers' markets. Today, demand for this long-stemmed leafy vegetable is slowly increasing again.
TEXT: Merle Hildebrandt
