Silverbeet

So, I have been wondering this for a while now. (And if you were here, you might be too.)  Silverbeet... what?  It looks like enormous swiss chard.  Is it just enormous swiss chard?  Is this another one of those silly British words for food, like swedes?  Why is it always so big?

We first encountered silverbeet in the beginning of winter, probably mid-June or so, bound in large bunches in a huge crate at the supermarket.  The stalks were all at least two to two and a half feet long.  Needless to say, they did not fit in our shopping bag.

Not to scale.

That first day, and every other day we've purchased (or glimpsed a sight of) silverbeet I've wondered.  Finally, today's the day to get to the bottom of this.  I bought silverbeet at the farmers market this morning, cooked it for dinner and finally got around to asking Google the question: what's the deal with silverbeet?  (Turns out this is not the question you should ask, actually.)

Like (almost) all things, wikipedia has the answers to my questions (or most of them).  First of all, is silverbeet really just the same thing as swiss chard?  (Yes.)  Why do they call it silverbeet here instead of chard?  (Not totally sure, actually...)  Is it just Australia that calls it silverbeet or is this a British thing?  (... British?  I think?  Based off the fact that it's apparently called silverbeet in New Zealand as well.)

Anyway, I feel pretty satisfied with those answers.  They were, after all, the answers I was expecting.  Just wanted to let you know that's the way they do it down here.

Also, silverbeet may be the same thing as swiss chard, but it is most definitely not the same as Silverbeat.  (I regret to inform you that this band name is already taken. Naturally, it's a jazz quintet.)