Spinach, I am afraid, has got bad press. Those who grew up reading Dennis the Menace thought there was nothing quite as bad as spinach for dinner. And then, of course, spinach stuck in one’s teeth was the ultimate faux pas that anyone could commit, especially on a date.
I, however, have always had a satisfying (albeit one-way) relationship with spinach or palak. There is nothing I enjoy more than palak paneer — soft cottage cheese in a green spinach sauce — eaten with fluffy rotis.
That is why when I learnt July 16 was World Spinach Day, I raised a happy toast to it. The leafy vegetable, after all, is green, healthy and tasty — and, to top it off, Popeye likes it.
