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Chenopodiaceae
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Beetroot; Tian Cai; Boomi-Sakara-Kelengu(T); Tim-Choi(C).
Beta vulagaris L. (Chenopodiaceae)
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| An erect herb with thick, fleshy root. Colour of the flesh and the root vary from red to purple. |
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The beetroot was perhaps first cultivated for its leaves but the value of its roots soon became apparent. The type of wild plant from which it came, had thin, poor roots and was native to the Mediterranean but spread eastwards into West Asia. It was known as a vegetable as early as 300 BC but was only introduced into Germany and Britain around the sixteenth century.
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The roots are boiled whole, peeled and eaten cold as a salad vegetable by Europeans. It can be eaten hot like any other root vegetable. In Russia, it is used in a soup called borsch. Beetroot contains a large amount of sugar, up to 8%.
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Spinach; Bo Cai; Po-Chai(C).
Spinacea oleracea L. (Chenopodiaceae)
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| An annual of variable habit with arrow-shaped or more rounded thick leaves fused into a rosette. Stem is hollow. The generic name refers to the spiny fruits produced by the plant. |
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A. De Candolle (1884) write that spinach was unknown to the Greeks and Romans. Originally from Persia, it was dispersed to various parts of Asia. Spinach probably reached Spain towards the end of the eleventh century and spread from there to the rest of Europe.
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This vegetable is highly regarded for its vitamins and mineral-rich contents. It is reputed to contain vitamin A precursor and vitamins B and C. The leaves are eaten boiled and have a distinctive flavour agreeable to most people.
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