Translated by: Denise Morfiris

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The services provided by Popeye (the sailor who is usually found onshore) over the years are enormous.

Without his persistence in resorting to cans with the word SPINACH written in big letters on the outside whenever he needed super human powers, there would probably be very few children who would consent to eating this nutritious vegetable.

It may be that this very likeable comics hero does over do it a bit with his instantaneous transformation to a strong man as a result of eating spinach. It is a well known fact though, that this modest vegetable is rich in phosphorous, chlorophyll and iron which are quickly absorbed into the system and are particularly strengthening for those people who live in smog plagued areas or those who are spiritually fatigued as a result of the work they do.

Rumors have it that spinach also enhances male sexual prowess but is not a topic for this brief presentation. For an answer it would perhaps be better to ask Olive Oil.

Spinach is used extensively in Mediterranean cooking, so it is easy to imagine it as being a national vegetable in our country. The truth is that Spinakia, as it called in botanical terms, originated in the area of Caucasus. The first to cultivate spinach were the Persians during the time that Rome was at its zenith.

In Europe, spinach was introduced by the Arabs about a thousand years ago. What is certain though, is that it was a very popular vegetable because it was easy to cultivate and easy to cook. In cooking it can be used in many different ways.

It is very often eaten plain as an appetizer, as an accompaniment with other vegetables in salads, or finely chopped or pureed accompanied by a wide variety of ingredients. It is considered ideal when mixed with cheese (feta and haloumi in Greek cooking and parmesan in Italian cooking) in the fixing of pitas and fritters. The taste of spinach is very discernable and versatile and that is why we see it used with anything from cuttlefish and clams to pasta and pies.

Fresh spinach is found all winter, so it should be used instead of the frozen or canned spinach that is so elaborately encouraged. The spinach leaves should have a healthy green color and be full of juice. If they look wilted it is best to not buy them.

When spinach is cooked it looses much of its bulk, so figure about 250 grams per person. Fresh spinach can be kept in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for about two days.

Wash the spinach well in cold water and take off the hard and very heavy sprigs. Put the leaves in a pot with the water that was kept from washing it, add a little salt, cover and allow to boil slowly for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the leaves do not stick to the bottom of the pot.

Drain well with the help of a spoon and serve chopped with some butter or with other vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, green beans etc.

To fix tasty omelets, mix together finely chopped cooked spinach with a little parmesana cheese, pepper and nutmeg. Or put the spinach through a mill to make salads with impressive tastes and color. Cooked spinach should not be kept in the refrigerator, nor should it be reheated because of certain harmful substances which are formed.

Also, because it contains large quantities of oxalic acids (substances which withhold calcium from the body and make greater demands on our metabolism) it is wise for women who are menstruating to avoid eating it and also for those suffering from arthritis or rheumatism.