Saag also spelled sag, saagh or saga, is a leafy vegetable dish from the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. It is eaten with bread, such as

roti Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, East African, and Southeast African countries. It is made from stoneground whole-wheat flour, kno ...

naan Naan () is a leavened, oven-baked or tawa-fried flatbread, that can also be baked in a tandoor. It is characterized by a light and fluffy texture and golden-brown spots from the baking process. Naan is found in the cuisines of Central Asia ...

, or in some regions with

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. Saag can be made from mustard greens, collard greens, basella or finely chopped

broccoli Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the Brassicaceae, cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large Pseudanthium, flowering head, plant stem, stalk and small associated leafy gre ...

along with added

spices In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

and sometimes other ingredients, such as

chhena Chhena () or chhana () is a kind of acid-set cheese originating in the Indian subcontinent that is made from water buffaloDalby, A 2009, ''Cheese: A Global History'', Reaktion Books, p. 73, Kapoor, S & Kapoor, A 2006, ''Sanjeev Kapoor's No-oil V ...

. In India, it is common, especially in the state of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

, where it is eaten with pakhala. In the Shree Jagannath Temple of

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, 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 ca ...

, saag is one of the dishes offered to

Jagannath Jagannath (; formerly ) is a Hindu deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, '' Purushot ...

as part of Mahaprasad. Saag is also common in

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

and other regions of

North India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

, where the most common preparation is

sarson ka saag ''Saron da saag'', also known as ''sarsa da saag'', is a dish of mustard greens cooked with spices. It originated in the northern Indian subcontinent and is popular throughout the region. Name The dish is known as ''sarson ka saag'' in Hindi ...

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

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

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

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. In Pakistan, it is most commonly eaten in the Punjab province along with Makki ki roti, made from freshly ground corn flour, and fresh buffalo or cow butter or

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by ...

Etymology

The word ''saag'' is derived from the Apabhraṃśa,

Prakrit Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...

word 'sāgun' and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

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 variety 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 ''Ipomoea aquatica'', commonly known as water spinach or kangkung, is a semi- aquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots. ''I. aquatica'' is generally believed to have been first domesticated in Southeast Asia. It is wi ...

'' (water spinach) *Kosalā/Khadā sāga (କୋସଳା ଶାଗ/ଖଡା ଶାଗ): prepared from

amaranth ''Amaranthus'' is a cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan group of more than 50 species which make up the genus of annual plant, annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Some names include "prostrate pigweed" an ...

leaves. * Bajji sāga (ବଜ୍ଜୀ ଶାଗ): prepared from '' Amaranthus dubius'' leaves. *Leutiā sāga (ଲେଉଟିଆ ଶାଗ): '' Amaranthus viridis'' leaves and tender stems. *Pālanga sāga (ପାଳଙ୍ଗ ଶାଗ):

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

*Sāga chhena (ସାଗ ଛେନା): greens, especially spinach, with cottage cheese *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): '' Glinus oppositifolius''. *Pidanga sāga (ପିଡଙ୍ଗ ଶାଗ) *Kakhāru sāga (କଖାରୁ ଶାଗ): prepared from leaves of the

pumpkin A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...

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 Glossary_of_leaf_morphology#Leaf_and_leaflet_shapes, obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiar ...

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, being popular throughout the state. Most Bengalis eat at least one dish containing sāg at lunchtime every day - usually fried or accompanied by a little gravy (jhol) and served with rice. A list of the plants that are used as sāg is as below. *Kalmi sāg

(water spinach) *Kosalā/khadā sāg: prepared from

leaves. * Bajji sāg: Prepared from Amaranthus dubius 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 Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, New Guinea butter bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvest ...

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

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 ''Lathyrus sativus'', also known as grass pea, cicerchia, blue sweet pea, chickling pea, chickling vetch, Indian pea, white pea and white vetch, is a legume (family Fabaceae) commonly grown for human consumption and livestock feed in Asia and Eas ...

'') * Poi saag ('' Basella alba'') * Palak saag (

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

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

Fenugreek Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small Glossary_of_leaf_morphology#Leaf_and_leaflet_shapes, obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiar ...

)

Jharkhand

There are around 70 varieties of saag 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 the Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari cuisines of Uttarakhand. The abundance of leafy greens in the state is because of fertile land and forested land. Saags of ''Sarson'' (Mustard), ''Palak'' (spinach), ''Mooli'' (

Radish The radish (''Raphanus sativus'') is a flowering plant in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. Its large taproot is commonly used as a root vegetable, although the entire plant is edible and its leaves are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable. Origina ...

) are common but exclusive saags cooked in the state are: *''Kandali saag'' / ''Bicchu ghas ka saag'' / ''Sisun ka saag'' - saag prepared from young leaves of the

stinging nettle ''Urtica dioica'', often known as common nettle, burn nettle, stinging nettle (although not all plants of this species sting) or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. Or ...

weed. First the leaves are boiled in water, rendering their stinging hairs harmless, before grinding them into a paste and cooking with ghee, tomato and spices to flavour them. Nettle leaves so prepared are highly nutritious, containing essential minerals and large amounts of protein *''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 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

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 roti (wheat bread),

chapati Chapati (alternatively spelled chapathi; pronounced as IAST: ), also known as ''roti'', ''rooti'', ''rotee'', ''rotli'', '' rotta'', ''safati'', ''shabaati'', ''phulka'', ''chapo'' (in East Africa), ''sada roti'' (in the Caribbean), ''poli'' (i ...

, ''makki ki roti'', ''bajra ki roti'' and topped with clarified butter.

References

{{Indian Dishes Bihari cuisine Indian curries Punjabi cuisine Bengali cuisine Pakistani vegetable dishes Odia cuisine Vegetarian dishes of India Pakistani curries Sindhi cuisine Nepalese cuisine