Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and Western Asia.

Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either fresh, or after storage using preservation techniques by canning, freezing, or dehydration.

It may be eaten cooked or raw, and the taste differs considerably; the high oxalate content may be reduced by steaming.

[1] Originally from Persian aspānāḵ, the name entered European languages from medieval Latin spinagium, which borrowed it from Arabic isbanakh.

Spinach became a popular vegetable in the Arab Mediterranean and arrived in the Iberian Peninsula by the latter part of the 12th century, where Ibn al-ʻAwwām called it raʼīs al-buqūl, 'the chieftain of leafy greens'.

[8][12] During World War I, wine fortified with spinach juice was given to injured French soldiers with the intent to curtail their bleeding.

In a 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving providing 97 kilojoules (23 kilocalories) of food energy, spinach has a high nutritional value, especially when fresh, frozen, steamed, or quickly boiled.

While refrigeration slows this effect to about eight days, fresh spinach loses most of its folate and carotenoid content over this period of time.

The Food and Drug Administration approves of irradiation of spinach leaves up to 4.0 kilograys, having no or only a minor effect on nutrient content.

[24] The comics and cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man is portrayed as gaining strength by consuming canned spinach.