Ever wonder why Popeye had such a passion for spinach? Back in the 1930s, the US government tapped spinach as a low-cost, iron-rich alternative to meat and sought a way to broadcast the concept to the masses.
When approached, Popeye’s creator E.C. Segar agreed to reveal the verdant victor as the secret to Popeye’s muscle-amassing powers. As it turns out, Popeye wasn’t the first hero to sing the leafy green’s praises. Back in the 12th century, the Rambam encouraged the young to drink a broth of spinach, olive oil, and brine as part of a healthy regimen (Sefer HaMadda, Chapter 4).
A long-time lover of spinach, I decided to check out what made these supermen swoon. Spinach is a powerhouse of vitamins A, C, E, and beta carotene. It’s good for your eyes, bones, fighting the aging process, and, of course, muscle-building. In an ironic twist, spinach is not as power-packed as once thought. In 1870, Dr. E. von Wolf misplaced a decimal when calculating the iron content of spinach, publishing that it contained 10 times more iron than it actually does. Oops! The error was discovered in the 1930s, around the time Popeye professed his love for the green, but wasn’t widely known until the 1980s.
Whether it’s canned or fresh, there are infinite ways to enjoy spinach. To get the inside scoop, I asked some of PresenTense’s readers their favorite ways to eat the power vegetable. New Yorker Yashi Kraus, 29, isn’t bothered by the century-old blunder. This self-professed spinach fan is known to “eat baby spinach leaves straight from the bag like some people eat potato chips!” Sweet spinach salads with fruits and nuts got votes for the “leafy, fruity, crunchy combination” from recent immigrant to Israel (oleh) Jonathan Maron, 25, and PresenTense staffer Naomi Fein. Fein, 25, has been ringing in Rosh Hashanah with this salad for years, and she’s not alone. According to Sephardi custom, a mini-seder of symbolic foods and accompanying blessings is held at the start of the New Year’s meal. One common bracha blesses the Jewish People with the removal of our enemies (yistalku sonenu), a play on the word selek, meaning beets in modern Hebrew.
But, as Rashi explains in Brachot 38b, water cooked with silka (the Aramaic variant of selek) is akin to water cooked with teredin, or spinach (tered) in modern Hebrew. Because of this word play, some families use spinach to pack the power punch of this blessing.
Next time Bluto is in hot pursuit, I’m going to cook up some keftes des espinaca (spinach burgers) to send him on his way. These traditional patties are well-known amongst Jews of Turkish and Greek origin. I was first introduced to them in my Nonna’s kitchen (that’s a Ladino savta), and they are another reason that I have such a soft spot in my heart for spinach. With their 50-50 spinach-to-meat ratio, they are a healthier alternative to conventional burgers. Like many Sephardi dishes, they go well with rice cooked in tomato sauce.
Keftes de espinaca
- 1 lb (.5 kg) ground meat
- 1 lb. (.5 kg) frozen whole-leaf spinach, defrosted
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c. bread crumbs (or matzah meal)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Olive Oil for frying
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Once thoroughly mixed, form 3 - 4 inch patties. Brown patties in olive oil, flipping when crispy on the edges. Lay on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Best served with fresh squeezed lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. For a healthier alternative, bake on a greased cooking sheet at 350ºF/175ºC for 25 min. or until the edges get crispy.
Makes 10 - 12 patties.
Melissa Meyers loves food and tweeting about it. Her heroes are Paul Farmer, Rambam, and Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef). For more culinary exploits, follow her at melrmeyers.
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