Chard – The Root with a Certain Spice

Over the years, chard has lost some of its popularity. Unjustly so, because this vegetable with its colorful stalks has so much to offer – both culinarily and for your health.

With the discovery of spinach, chard faded into the background. Spinach was considered "finer" and more digestible. But luckily, in recent years, a trend for "old vegetables" has developed.

Chard originated in Italy and the Balkans and is now considered a delicacy far beyond those regions. Centuries ago, chard was used as a medicinal plant to treat anxiety and nervousness, and it was a common ingredient in the kitchen. It was cultivated in the Middle East over 4,000 years ago. But when spinach arrived on the scene in the 17th century, the admiration for chard temporarily faded. Fortunately, like all things new and interesting, chard has caught up with spinach and is now living up to its excellent reputation once again.

Eating chard raw is generally a bad idea. The vegetable contains many bitter substances that make it unpalatable when untreated. However, cooked chard is a true delicacy. Unlike its competitor spinach, chard stands out with its spiciness and intense flavor. This is why the vegetable is so popular, especially in Mediterranean cuisine. Chard pairs particularly well with meat and fish dishes and is often prepared in combination with other vegetables like bell peppers and the like. So, chard definitely shouldn't be missing from a good vegetable stir-fry!

Botanically, a distinction is made between two groups of chard varieties: stem or ribbed chard (Stiel- oder Rippenmangold) and leaf or cutting chard (Blatt- oder Schnittmangold). The two groups essentially differ in their use. Stem chard is more common; in addition to the leaves, the thick, rather nutty-tasting leaf stalks—which can come in red, yellow, or white—are also used. With cutting chard, the stems are significantly thinner, and only the leaves, which resemble spinach, are used.