Chard

Chard
Chard
Species	Beta vulgaris
Subspecies	Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
Cultivar group	Cicla Group, Flavescens Group
Origin	Sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima)
Cultivar group members	see text

Mangold

Chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris, Cicla-Group and Flavescens-Group) is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. In the Flavescens-Group-cultivars, the leaf stalks are large and are often prepared separately from the leaf blade.^[1] The leaf blade can be green or reddish in color; the leaf stalks also vary in color, usually white, yellow, or red.^[2] Chard has highly nutritious leaves making it a popular addition to healthful diets (like other green leafy vegetables).^[3] Chard has been around for centuries, but because of its similarity to other beets and some other vegetables such as cardoon, the common names used by cooks over the centuries may be confusing.^[4]

Classification

Chard was first described in 1753 by Carl von Linné as Beta vulgaris var. cicla.^[5] Its taxonomic rank has changed many times, so it was treated as a subspecies, convariety or variety of Beta vulgaris. (Some of the numerous synonyms are Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla (L.) W.D.J. Koch (Cicla Group), B. vulgaris subsp. cicla (L.) W.D.J. Koch var. cicla L., B. vulgaris var. cycla (L.) Ulrich, B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Leaf Beet Group), B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Spinach Beet Group), B. vulgaris subsp. cicla (L.) W.D.J. Koch (Flavescens Group), B. vulgaris subsp. cicla (L.) W.D.J. Koch var. flavescens (Lam.) DC., B. vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris (Leaf Beet Group), B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Swiss Chard Group)).^[6] The accepted name for all beet cultivars, like chard, sugar beet and beetroot, is Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris.^[7][8] They are cultivated descendants of the sea beet, Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima. Chard belongs to the chenopods, which are now mostly included in the family Amaranthaceae (sensu lato).

There are two rankless cultivar groups for chard: the Cicla-Group for the leafy spinach beet, and the Flavescens-Group for the stalky Swiss chard.^[6]

Chard is also known by its many common names such as Swiss chard, silverbeet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet, crab beet, bright lights, seakale beet, and mangold. In South Africa, and parts of Australia, it is simply called spinach.^[9]

Etymology

The word "chard" descends from the fourteenth-century French carde, from Latin carduus meaning artichoke thistle (or cardoon, including the artichoke).^[10]

The origin of the adjective "Swiss" is unclear, since the Mediterranean plant is not native to Switzerland, nor particularly commonly cultivated there. Some attribute the name to it having been first described by a Swiss botanist, either Gaspard Bauhin ^[11] or Karl Heinrich Emil Koch^[12] (although the latter was German, not Swiss).

Swiss chard for sale at an outdoor market

Growth and harvesting

Chard is a biennial. Clusters of chard seeds are usually sown, in the Northern Hemisphere, between June and October, depending on the desired harvesting period. Chard can be harvested while the leaves are young and tender, or after maturity when they are larger and have slightly tougher stems. Harvesting is a continuous process, as most species of chard produce three or more crops.^[13] Raw chard is extremely perishable.

Cultivars

Cultivars of chard include green forms, such as 'Lucullus' and 'Fordhook Giant', as well as red-ribbed forms such as 'Ruby Chard' and 'Rhubarb Chard'.^[2] The red-ribbed forms are attractive in the garden, but as a general rule, the older green forms tend to outproduce the colorful hybrids. 'Rainbow Chard' is a mix of other colored varieties that is often mistaken for a variety unto itself.^[2]

Chard has shiny, green, ribbed leaves, with petioles that range from white to yellow to red, depending on the cultivar.^[2]

Chard is a spring harvest plant. In the Northern Hemisphere, chard is typically ready to harvest as early as April and lasts through May. Chard is one of the hardier leafy greens, with a harvest season typically lasting longer than kale, spinach or baby greens. When daytime temperatures start to regularly hit 30 °C (86 °F), the harvest season is coming to an end.

Culinary use

Fresh young chard can be used raw in salads. Mature chard leaves and stalks are typically cooked (like in pizzoccheri) or sauteed; the bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a refined flavor which is more delicate than that of cooked spinach.

In Egyptian cuisine, chard is commonly cooked with taro root and coriander in a light broth.^[14] In Turkish cuisine, chard is cooked as soup, sarma or börek.

Nutritional content

In a 100 gram serving, raw Swiss chard provides 19 calories and has rich content (> 19% of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamins A, K, and C, with 122%, 1038%, and 50%, respectively, of the DV.^[3] Also having significant content in raw chard are vitamin E and the dietary minerals, magnesium, manganese, iron and potassium.^[3] Carbohydrates, protein, fat and dietary fiber have low content.^[3]

When chard is cooked by boiling, vitamin and mineral contents are reduced compared to raw chard, but still supply significant proportions of the DV (table).

References

External links

Look up chard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chard.