Spinach is a very ripe vegetable, which will shrink when cooked, so we only need to cook it for 3 to 5 minutes. If boiled for a long time, spinach will become mushy and its nutrients will be destroyed.

Spinach is a biennial herb and green leafy vegetable of Amaranthaceae. The root is conical, reddish and less white, and the stem is upright and hollow, unbranched or with a few branches. Spinach leaves are halberd-shaped to oval, bright green in color, whole or with several toothed lobes. According to the shape of seeds, spinach varieties are divided into two categories: spiny and spiny. Spiny species have strong cold tolerance and are suitable for planting in winter; Thornless species have poor cold tolerance and are suitable for planting in spring and autumn.

Classification of spinach varieties

Spinach tastes sweet and smooth, and contains high nutrients such as protein, vitamins, carotene and iron. According to the seed morphology, it can be divided into spiny species and spiny species.

1. Spiny species: the fruit is rhombic with thorns, the leaves are small and thin, halberd-shaped or arrow-shaped, the texture is soft and the astringency is less, so it is suitable for eating (pointed leaf type). Because of its strong cold and heat resistance, early maturity and early bolting, it is one of the green pigments widely used in cooking.

2. Spinless species (round leaf type): the fruit is irregular and round, spineless, the leaves are plump, shriveled, oval, oval or irregular, the petiole is short, the heat resistance is weak, and the bolting is late, which is suitable for overwintering cultivation. Ancient Arabs once listed it as "the king of vegetables".

The above contents refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Spinach.