The term "spinach" is derived from the Arabic Spain isbinâkh and is an adaptation of the Spanish espinaca, impaired espina "thorn." The thorn stems from the form of the fruit that houses the seeds: all of the earliest types were thorny. Varieties with smooth, spherical fruits were found much later in history. Spinach is a Central Asian native that did not leave its native land until the Christian period. It was unknown, or just barely known, to the Greeks and Romans, unlike many other culinary plants. It is not mentioned until the 7th century, and then only in a Chinese literature. It is said to have arrived in Sicily after the invasion of the Saracens from North Africa in the eighth century. However, it wasn't until the 15th century that it was mentioned in cookery works, either because it took so long to spread to the rest of Europe or because it hadn't yet. There isn't much of a culinary importance here. However, we do know that it was grown in monastic gardens in the 14th century. It is unknown when it was first brought to America, although it is thought to have occurred before the nineteenth century. It will take a century before it reaches a certain level of popularity.