Callaloo Greens – The Jamaican Spinach
Variety is the spice of life, so how many different foods have you tried lately? Here is information about one you might not have.
Callaloo is a vegetable which contains four more times calcium, twice the iron and twice the vitamin A of broccoli. Callaloo or aramanth is a leafy green vegetable referred to as the Jamaican spinach.
It’s flavor is less bitter than spinach, and when preparing it for eating, the entire plant is used, stem and leaf. The stem is “shredded” to make it less bulky and easier to digest. The vegetable is chopped into small pieces and steamed.
While callaloo is loaded with nutrients it also contains oxalic acid which in large dosages can prove to be harmful. Some of this green is very healthy and the phytochemicals found in the plant can help fight cancer, but too much can cause liver damage.
Stamp-and-Go and Callaloo Fritters – Babble On Babylon (Photo credit: avlxyz)
It is used in any recipe spinach is used in; such as soups, quiche, omelets and sides. For a recipe using callaloo in a tasty Jamaican soup use this link.
The nutrients found in one serving of *salted callaloo are quite impressive:
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Liked it
Tiki33 | Feb 10, 2012 | Reply
I have a better understanding of this plant and its health benefits. Thanks for sharing this article.
Pecinta | Feb 10, 2012 | Reply
very nice post, i am hungry
radeonfire | Feb 10, 2012 | Reply
it make me feel hungry . is it nice?
daisy peasblossom | Feb 10, 2012 | Reply
Interesting name for amaranth. Does it require special cooking methods?
CHAN LEE PENG | Feb 10, 2012 | Reply
It’s very tempting. You tempt my appetite lol…
Judy Sheldon | Feb 10, 2012 | Reply
Tiki, thank you. I am glad I could help.
Pecinta, thank you. It is good when we eat healthy when we are hungry.
Radeonfire, it was good.
Daisy, I bnought it canned, but I looked it up on Youtube and watched it prepared. It was fascinating how they took their knife and shredded the stem, then diced the greens. Otherwise the cooking is very similar to any other green. They washed it with salt, rinsed it real well then steamed it.
Chan, I am glad I am tempting you to eat your veggies. lol
Melody SJAL | Feb 11, 2012 | Reply
I love spinach. Don’t know if i have tried this one though.
Judy Sheldon | Feb 11, 2012 | Reply
I love spinach too but I liked this better. Thanks, Melody for your support.
papaleng | Feb 12, 2012 | Reply
Excellent way of introducing this plant to meet. I haven;t seen nor even taste one.
Judy Sheldon | Feb 12, 2012 | Reply
Papaleng, you have to try it. Thanks for the visit.
MariB | Feb 12, 2012 | Reply
Thankx for sharing this mama, I actually enjoyed it
Ruby Hawk | Feb 13, 2012 | Reply
i had never heard of this vegetable. I’ll have to look more carefully at the grocery store..
CA Johnson | Feb 13, 2012 | Reply
I never heard of callaloo greens. I do like spinach and eat it all of the time. After reading about this and the health benefits, I may try and find them so I can find out what they taste like. Thanks for sharing.
pinguinagresiv | Feb 14, 2012 | Reply
Great article. made me hungry
)
FX777222999 | Feb 14, 2012 | Reply
Yummy, first time to know this kind of spinach.
SharifaMcFarlane | Feb 14, 2012 | Reply
Callaloo is great. We usually have it with saltfish in Jamaica. I am glad you liked it.
Excellent article.
Judy Sheldon | Feb 15, 2012 | Reply
Mari, what is mine is yours.
Ruby, I found it by accident and was curious.
Cheryl, I hope you get to try them.
pinguinagresiv, it is good to be hungry for something that is good for you.
FX, thank you.
Sharifa, I am glad I got to try it.
Thanks everyone and God bless.
Margaret Boseroy | Feb 15, 2012 | Reply
Impressive list of nutrients. I wonder where I can buy this. Is it called callaloo greens in the stores?
Judy Sheldon | Feb 15, 2012 | Reply
Margaret, it is. I found it in a local farmer’s market. I had never heard of them before.
Thanks for your visit and God bless.
Lynn Proctor | Feb 16, 2012 | Reply
I didn’t know the green of the amaranth was good to eat! I always associated amaranth with the “grain” of the plant, and it’s benefits for those who cannot eat most grains. I love trying new greens, and grow my own dandelions. they get up to my waist, and while you cannot eat the stem of the dandelion, the greens are fantastic steamed with butter and/or vinegar. I wonder if amaranth is easy to grow? I will check it out. Thanks for the article – I loved the pictures of the fritters.
Judy Sheldon | Feb 16, 2012 | Reply
Lynn, I also eat dandelion greens. They have more nutritents in them than spinach and detox. I do not know how difficult they would be to grow as I just recently discovered them. You will find them less bitter than dandelion greens or spinach.
atlanta | Feb 17, 2012 | Reply
very good article! were can you buy it? It looks so fresh and nutrional.
sylviagaile | Feb 21, 2012 | Reply
You have explained it well! Haven’t known about those nutritious complex that it contain. Thanks for this very healthy post!
Judy Sheldon | Feb 22, 2012 | Reply
Atlanta, I found it at our local market.
Sylvia, thanks for your support.
FX777222999 | Feb 24, 2012 | Reply
Yummy I think.
Moses Ingram | Mar 6, 2012 | Reply
Sounds good.
Lex92 | Mar 25, 2012 | Reply
Looks yummy
valli | Mar 28, 2012 | Reply
I haven’t heard this earlier. Thanks for sharing this wonderful vegetable.
Eiddwen | May 12, 2012 | Reply
Interesting and useful.