Spinach
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is an annual leafy vegetable in the amaranth family, cultivated for its edible leaves. It is eaten raw or cooked.
Amaranthaceae: A family of flowering plants that includes spinach, beets, quinoa, and amaranth. Spinach belongs to this family, alongside several other cultivated leafy crops.
Leafy vegetable: A vegetable whose leaves are eaten as food, usually cooked or served raw. Spinach is a widely eaten leafy vegetable, both fresh and cooked.
Swiss chard: A leafy vegetable in the beet species, grown for its broad leaves and colorful stalks. It resembles spinach in cooking but has thicker stalks and belongs to a different species.
Spinacia: A genus of flowering plants that includes cultivated spinach and its close wild relatives. Spinacia oleracea is the cultivated species within this small genus.
Popeye: A comic-strip sailor created by Elzie Crisler Segar, known for gaining strength after eating spinach. The character made spinach a lasting symbol of sudden strength in popular culture.
Leaf vegetable: A plant cultivated primarily for leaves eaten as food. Spinach is grown chiefly for its edible leaves rather than roots, fruits, or seeds.
Salad: A dish of mixed ingredients, often including raw vegetables and leafy greens. Tender spinach leaves are commonly used as a raw salad green.
New Zealand spinach: A leafy plant, Tetragonia tetragonioides, eaten as a spinach-like vegetable. Despite its name and similar use, it is unrelated to true spinach.
Persia: A historical region centered on the Iranian plateau, known today principally as Iran. Spinach was cultivated in Persia before spreading westward through trade.
Popeye effect: The cultural association between spinach and extraordinary strength, popularized by the Popeye comic and cartoons. Spinach's reputation as a strength-giving food is strongly tied to this media effect.