bieta

Smaller than its fat stemmed cousin, Swiss chard, or bietola da coste, bieta is sometimes called bietola da foglie, or 'leaf chard' because its stems are thinner and can be prepared at the same time as the leaves. It's often prepared the same way as spinach. Bietola is the more common word in the south; in the north it's often called erbette.

Red or rainbow chard (sometimes mistakenly called 'Swiss chard' in the U.S.) is bietola rossa or erbette rosse.