Wednesday 11 July 2018

Vlita - King of Greens

Vlita - Amaranthus viridis . 

 I can't find an english translation.  You may recognise it and tell me what you call it.

Grows in the heat of our summer, dies out in cooler temperatures. Have seen it called Chinese amaranth or Guernsey pigweed. Related to spinach and beet greens.




It is a summer green which most Greeks love to eat.  A plate of vlita, a clove of garlic, a squirt of vinegar, a slosh of olive oil, a fork in one hand, a slice of bread in the other and you have the perfect summer lunch.

A plate of little fried fishes goes down well with the greens and a side of boiled zucchini put traditional people in very good moods.

It grows all over the garden and needs only water to enjoy vigorous growth.   Ours just came up by itself.  The first year there were a couple of patches under the mandarine tree.  The next year a few more patches and now in spring it pops up all over the usually bare and dusty backyard.  K picks the top, younger and more tender leaves.  The more you pick, the more it grows.  The vlita phenomenon during the summer months reminds me of the lemons and oranges in the winter.   Everyone around here has loads and we have bags of vlita left on our doorstep.  We have more than enough of our own so we pick bags full and leave them on others' doorsteps.  In Athens you probably pay 3 or 4 euros for a kilo of fresh leaves.

It just needs a good wash to get rid of dust and any dirt and is then boiled for about 20 minutes.  




The greens are a very good source of iron, vitamin C,  are rich in a variety of minerals and other vitamins.  Another  superfood.

So why is used to describe someone who is a little lacking in brains?  
'As dumb as vlita', they say.


15 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. It is boiled for about 20 minutes, otherwise too tough. Not good raw. Not like spinach

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  2. It looks a bit like spinach, but spinach doesn't grow as prolifically as that. -Jenn

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    1. Definitely not spinach . The leaves have a different texture. Rough, not smooth

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  3. You can boil them, but can't you eat them raw, like a lettuce salad...? I imagine they work, both ways.

    Plentiful and good for you! Mother Nature knows "her stuff," hu? :-)

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    1. Not good in salads. The stalks are eaten too and are tough

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  4. Popeye would love that if its Spinach!

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    1. I've seen a reference to it on the net as pigwort or Chinese amaranth. Means nothing to me
      ..you're a gardener. Ever heard of pigwort?

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    2. Sorry....Guernsey pigweed, not pigwort

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    3. Cousin of spinach and beet greens , grows in the heat of summer, dies out in winter

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  5. I looked up Guernsey pigweed. It's a new one on me. Its amazing how many vegetables originate from the Mediterranean and Asia and South America for the potatoes.

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  6. I'm not sure if we have something like that here in NZ but I love my veges and greens so I would definitely try it.

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    1. Every country has its greens. Nothing beat nz silver beet!

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  7. This is very popular in the Caribbean; especially Jamaica, where they call it Callaloo.

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    1. I've seen it described as an asian green but not Jamaican. I had a look at callaloo and it is the same thing - as you say.

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