Saag (), also spelled sag or saga, is an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

leaf vegetable dish eaten with bread such as

roti Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is popular in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Trin ...

naan Naan ( fa, نان, nān, ur, , ps, نان, ug, نان, hi, नान, bn, নান) is a leavened, oven-baked or tawa-fried flatbread which is found in the cuisines mainly of Western Asia, Central Asia, Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, ...

, or in some regions with

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

. Saag can be made from

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

, mustard greens, collard greens, basella, finely chopped

broccoli Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering head, stalk and small associated leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Broccoli is cla ...

or other greens, along with added

spices A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices are ...

and sometimes other ingredients such as

chhena Chhena () or chhana () are a style of cheese, originating from the Indian subcontinent, made from water buffaloDalby, A 2009, ''Cheese: A Global History'', Reaktion Books, p. 73, Kapoor, S & Kapoor, A 2006, ''Sanjeev Kapoor's No-oil Vegetarian C ...

. Saag is common in the state of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, where it is eaten with

pakhala Pakhaḷa ( ''Pakhāḷa,'' ) is an Odia cuisine, consisting of cooked rice washed or lightly fermented in water. The liquid part of the dish is known as Toraṇi ( ''ṭorāṇi''). It is popular in the state of Odisha and its similar var ...

. In the Shree Jagannath Temple of

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as '' ...

, saag is one of the dishes offered to

Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

as part of Mahaprasad. Saag is also common in

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

and other regions of

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Cen ...

, where the most common preparation is

sarson ka saag Sarson ka saag (as it is known in Hindi/Haryanvi or Sarson da saag in Punjabi or Sareyan Da Saag in Dogri) is a popular vegetarian dish from the northern region of the Indian subcontinent. It is made from mustard greens (sarson) and spices such ...

(mustard plant leaves), which may be eaten with makki ki roti, a yellow roti made with

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...

flour. ''Saag gosht'' or ''hariyali maans'' (spinach and mutton) is a common dish in the North Indian state of

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

Etymology

The word ''saag'' is derived from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

word ''shaak'' (''śāka'') meaning leafy green vegetables.

Variations

Odisha

In Odia cuisine, sāga () is one of the most important vegetables. It is popular all over the state. A large varieties of plants are used as sāga in Odisha. A list of the plants that are used as sāga is as below. *Kalama sāga (କଳମ ଶାଗ): '' Ipomoea aquatica'' (water spinach) *Kosalā/Khadā sāga (କୋସଳା ଶାଗ/ଖଡା ଶାଗ): prepared from

amaranth ''Amaranthus'' is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Some amaranth species are cultivated as leaf vegetables, pseudocereals, and ornamental plants. Catkin-like cymes of densely p ...

leaves. * Bajji sāga (ବଜ୍ଜୀ ଶାଗ): Prepared from

Amaranthus dubius ''Amaranthus dubius'', the red spinach, Chinese spinach, (), spleen amaranth, hon-toi-moi, yin choy, hsien tsai, or Arai keerai () is a plant species. It belongs to the economically important family Amaranthaceae. This plant is native to South ...

leaves. *Leutiā sāga (ଲେଉଟିଆ ଶାଗ) Amaranthus viridis leaves and tender stems. *Pālanga sāga (ପାଳଙ୍ଗ ଶାଗ)

*Sāga chhena (ସାଗ ଛେନା): Greens, especially spinach, with

cottage cheese Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keep ...

*Poi sāga (ପୋଈ ଶାଗ): prepared from basella leaves and tender stems. *Bāramāsi/sajanā sāga (ବାରମାସି/ ସଜନା ଶାଗ): prepared from leaves of the drumstick tree. Cooked with lentils or alone with fried onions. *Sunusuniā sāga (ସୁନୁସୁନିଆ ଶାଗ) Marsilea polycarpa leaves. *Pitāgama sāga (ପିତାଗମା ଶାଗ) Gilnus oppositifolius . *Pidanga sāga (ପିଡଙ୍ଗ ଶାଗ) *Kakhāru sāga (କଖାରୁ ଶାଗ): Prepared from leaves of the

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

plant. *Madarangā sāga (ମଦରଙ୍ଗା ଶାଗ): prepared from leaves of Alternanthera sessilis. *Sorisa sāga (ଶୋରିସ ଶାଗ) : Mustard greens * Methi sāga (ମେଥୀ ଶାଗ): prepared from methi or

Fenugreek Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and leaves are common ingredients ...

leaves and besara (mustard paste) cooked with vegetable. *Matara sāga (ମଟର ଶାଗ): The inner coating of peas is removed and then chopped to make the saga. *Bahal sāga *Kular sāga *Bhader sāga *Jhirel dal sāga

Bengali

In Bengali cuisine, sāg is one of the most important vegetables. It is popular all over the state. Most of the Bengalis use at least one sāg everyday during lunch. They eat sāg fried or little gravy (jhol) with rice. A list of the plants that are used as sāg is as below. *Kalmi sāg Ipomoea aquatica (water spinach) *Kosalā/khadā sāg: prepared from

leaves. * Bajji sāg: Prepared from

leaves. *Leutiā sāg Amaranthus viridis leaves and tender stems. *Pālong sāg:

*Puin sāg : prepared from basella leaves and tender stems. *Bāramāsi/sojnā sāg: prepared from leaves of the drumstick tree. Cooked with lentils or alone with fried onions. *Sunusuniā sāg: Marsilea polycarpa leaves. *Pitāgama sāg *Helencha sāg: Enhydra fluctuans *Daata sāg *Peyanj sāg: prepared from spring onions *Mulor sāg *Lal sāg *Lau sāg : Prepared from the leaves and stems of bottle gourd plant. *Kumro sāg: Prepared from leaves of the

plant. *Madarangā sāg: prepared from leaves of Alternanthera sessilis. *Sorshe sag: Mustard greens * Methi sāg: prepared from methi or

fenugreek Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and leaves are common ingredients ...

leaves and besara (mustard paste) cooked with vegetable. *Matara sāg: The inner coating of peas is removed and then chopped to make the sāga.

Bihar

* Kalmi saag * Munga saag * Koira Saag * Gandhari saag * Koinar saag * Chakod saag * Sarla saag * Chench saag * Chimti saag * Katai saag * Dhhahdhhaa saag * Golgola saag * Khesaari saag ('' Lathyrus sativus'') * Poi saag ('' Basella alba'') * Palak saag (

Spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

) * Bathua saag ('' Chenopodium album'') * Methi saag (

)

Jharkhand

There are around 70 variety of saag grows in Jharkhand. Some are as follows: *Beng saag *Bhaji saag *Kalmi saag *Khesari saag *Kohnda saag *Koinar saag *Methi saag *Munga saag *Palak saag *Pechki saag *Poi saag *Putkal saag *Sarla saag

Uttarakhand

Saags (Leafy greens) are an important part of Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari cuisines of Uttarakhand. The abundance of leafy greens in the state are because of fertile land and forested land. Saags of ''Sarson'' (Mustard), ''Palak'' (spinach), ''Mooli'' (Radish) are common but unique and exclusive saags cooked in the state are: ''Kandali saag'' or ''Bicchu ghas ka saag'' or ''Sisun ka saag'' (or stinging nettle leaves) is a wild bushy grass that is high on nutritional value but also itches if touched to bare skin. The leaves of this plant are boiled in hot water, turned into a paste and then cooked with ghee and tomato. ''Lingdi ka saag'': made using tender fern leaves.

Haryana

*Saag gosht or Hariyali Maans is a version of the dish prepared with meat often of

mutton Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries''. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton. Gen ...

or ''lamb''. This version of the dish is more common in the state of Haryana. The meat is usually cooked in a ''Bhatthi'' (clay oven) before being marinated in the other ingredients. * In winters, saags of ''Channa/Cholia'' (chickpea leaves), ''Sarson'' (mustard), ''Methi'' (fenugreek), ''Palak'' (spinach), ''Bathua'' (chenopodium) are commonly cooked in Haryanvi households. These saags are mainly eaten with millet breads like Makki ki roti & Bajra ki roti, smeared with

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from ...

or butter.

Punjab

* Saag is usually made with mustard leaves in Punjab, although spinach is common in other parts of the world. Saag is commonly served hot, usually with chapati, ''makki ki roti'', ''bajra ki roti'' and topped with clarified butter.

References

5^cookingweb
sunsunia saag recipe in Hindi
{{Indian Dishes Bihari cuisine Indian curries Punjabi cuisine Bengali cuisine Bangladeshi cuisine Odia cuisine Vegetarian dishes of India Pakistani curries Sindhi cuisine