Amaranth (datashak) herbaceous plants
of the genus Amaranthus, family Amaranthaceae, native to the India
or Indo-Chinese region. The tender leaves and stems, rich in vitamins
A and C, calcium and iron, are considered as vegetable.
Two predominant types are grown; the leafy type can be cultivated throughout
the year but its production is high during winter months. The stem type
is a vegetable primarily of the summer.
Plants are grown from local varieties. Two important varieties
of leafy type are Altapeti and (BARI) Lal-shak-1.
The varieties of stem amaranth include Bashpata, Katua, Sureshsuri
and Amoni. Depending on the variety the yield goes
up to about 15 m tons/ha.
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Amaranth |
The tender leaves are fried and stems are generally
cooked with fish or other vegetables. [SM Monowar Hossain]
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