Swiss Chard / Silverbeet

Also known asSilverbeet · Chard · Swiss Chard · Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris

Name: Swiss chard, also called silverbeet, chard or Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris Cicla group) — a leafy vegetable with large, glossy, crinkled green leaves and thick stalks in white, yellow, pink or red, as in ‘Rainbow’ chard.

Description

Chard is a type of beet bred for its leaves rather than its root, and is native to the Mediterranean. Despite the name, it is not Swiss: the word “Swiss” was used by seed catalogue authors to distinguish it from French spinach varieties, because it was first described by a Swiss botanist. Silverbeet is the usual name in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Chard is important in Mediterranean cooking, where it is used in pies, tarts and soups, and in Italian and French cuisine. The stalks are crisp and sweet, and the leaves are tender with a mild, slightly earthy flavour similar to spinach and beet greens.

Main nutrition value

Swiss chard is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium, with iron and fibre.

How best to be consumed

Swiss chard has two parts that cook at different speeds.

1. Separate the stalks from the leaves, cooking the stalks a few minutes longer.
2. Sauté with garlic and olive oil, and finish with lemon or vinegar.
3. Add to soups, gratins, frittatas, pies and pasta.
4. Use young leaves raw in salads.
5. Pickle the colourful stalks, or roast them with olive oil.

Overconsumption could cause…

Swiss chard is safe and healthy in food amounts, with a note on oxalate.

1. Oxalates, which matter for people prone to kidney stones when eaten in very large amounts, and which reduce the absorption of calcium and iron from the leaves. Chard is high in oxalate.
2. Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
3. Foodborne illness from poorly washed leaves, so rinse well, especially bagged and ready-to-eat salad.
4. Reddish urine or stools from red-stemmed chard, which is harmless.

GroupsLeafy Green VegetablesAmaranth family (Amaranthaceae)Low fatRich in vitamin ARich in vitamin CRich in vitamin KFresh

Related foodsAmaranth Greens / BayamSpinachBeet GreensBaby SpinachPumpkin LeavesPurslane

Wikipedia — Chard, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chard