Swiss Chard
Photo: flickr user jslander
About
Swiss Chard is a vegetable relative to beets. The leaves of the beets and the chard is similar, however the leaves of the chard is more flavorful and nutritious, it is slightly bitter and salty.
Chard is rich in dietary fiber, magnesium, calcium, Vitamins A, C, E and K, potassium, zinc, copper and folate. Another super food that everybody should be eating.
It can be steamed, roasted, and sauteed.
Information
Other names: Leaf Beet, Spinach Beet, Chard
Translations: Šveices Mangoldi, Šveicarijos Chard, Elveţian Chard, Blitva, Swiss chard, Szwajcarska Chard, Sveitsisk Chard, Мангольд, Είδος τεύτλου, السويسري الشوندرة, 스위스 Chard, Švýcarská Chard, 瑞士查德, Bleda, Blitva, Švajčiarska Chard, השוויצרי Chard, Mangold, Блитва, フダンソウ, Bette à carde, स्विस Chard, Acelga, Мангольд, Sveitsin Chard, Швейцарската Чард
Physical Description
Swiss Chard is a dark leafy green vegetable with bright colored stems in red, yellow, orange & green. The leaves are large and elongated. Both the stems and the leaves can be eaten.
Colors: dark leafy green vegetable with bright colored stems in red, yellow, orange & green.
Tasting Notes
Flavors: earthy, floral
Mouthfeel: Earthy, Crunchy, Leafy
Food complements: Pine nuts, Currants, Raisins, Poultry, Garlic
Wine complements: Red wine, White wine
Beverage complements: Beer, Lemonade, Tea, Sparkling water
Substitutes: Turnip greens, Mature spinach, Bok choy, Mustard greens, Tuscan kale
Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: january, february, march, april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober, november, december
Peak: march, april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober
Choosing: Look for firm upright leaves and stems that are free of brown spots.
Buying: Swiss chard is available at all grocers and farmers markets.
Preparation and Use
Cleaning: Simply rinse the leaves and shake off the excess water and trim the stalk ends.