The History of Spinach

Spinach (Spinacia oleraceae) is native to southwest Asia and was first cultivated in Persia (modern-day Iran and the surrounding area) over 2,000 years ago. It was also grown in China starting around the 6th century. Arabs brought spinach to Spain in the 11th century and from there, the crop spread to the rest of Europe, where it was soon consumed widely. Artists even extracted its green pigment to create dyes for ink and paint! Interestingly, Catherine de' Medici, an Italian noblewoman born in Florence who later became the Queen of France, was exceedingly fond of spinach and ate it at every meal. (Many French dishes made with spinach are now described as “Florentine” because of the food's association with the Florentine queen.) Spinach seeds were eventually brought to the Americas by the colonists. Spinach became especially popular in the United States after Elzie Crisler Segar’s spinach-eating character, Popeye the Sailor Man, was introduced in 1929. Today, spinach remains a massively popular vegetable that’s eaten all over the U.S. and around the world.