Spinach and friends (like people, some are fake!)

Amaranth. Photo: Flickr/ Stewart Butterfield

There's a lot to like about spinach. An annual plant native to central and south-western Asia, it’s a nutritional powerhouse, like many other leafy greens. Its leaves are very tender when cooked and crunchy-fresh when used raw, with a hint of cleansing astringent bitterness.

It’s believed to have originated from ancient Persia (Iran today), and found itself entering China by way of Nepal. Even today, China is the largest grower of spinach in the world, accounting for over 90% of the world’s spinach haul.