Cabbage
Family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae)
Brassica oleracea, wild cabbage (B. oleracea 1), is native to coasts of the Mediterranean region and southwestern Europe.
It is a 60-120 cm tall herb with a rather woody stem and fleshy bluish-green leaves of different shape, without hairs. The lower leaves are fairly large, stalked and with irregular margins. The yellow flowers are borne in open inflorescences that continue to grow; each flower with 4 sepals and petals, and 6 stamens of which 2 short and 4 long. The fruit is a 5-10 cm long capsule with a short beak, opening by 2 valves, called a siliqua. The 8-16 seeds are borne on a central wall, brownish in colour and about 3 mm in diameter.
Use
Wild cabbage is taken into cultivation at least 4500 years ago and gave rise to many cultivated varieties, which all agree in flowers, fruits and seeds, but vary widely in vegetative characters. These varieties include important vegetables (B. oleracea 2), (B. oleracea 3) and are divided into 6 groups.
1. Brassica oleracea var. acephala, kale (B. oleracea 4), with a simple erect stem, bearing large curled leaves which do not form heads like in other cabbages, and which can stand frost. It is the oldest variety of cultivated Brassica and was known in Roman times already. The edible parts are the leaves, which are eaten chopped and boiled. Some forms are used mainly for livestock, where others with purple or variegated leaves are grown as ornamentals.
2. Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, cauliflower (B. oleracea 5), produces a single stem, bearing a large roundish flower-head, consisting of a tightly packed mass of undeveloped creamy-white flower buds, known as the ‘ curd’ (B. oleracea 6), which is eaten as a vegetable. The plant was described as early as 1554 by the Flemish botanist Dodoens. During growth the leaves are bent over the heads to keep the latter as white as possible. Today varieties are bred in which the inner leaves cover the ‘ curd’ , so no more manual labour is required to do so. Recently a green cauliflower with pointed rosets is developed in Italy with the trade name Romanesco (B. oleracea 22).
3. Brassica oleracea var. capitata, cabbages, have a short stem surmounted by a mass of thick overlapping leaves forming a compact head (B. oleracea 13), of varying shape and texture. Cabbages are of ancient cultivation and are grown in Europe for at least 2500 years. Today cabbages are grown throughout the world, including the higher altitude tropics (B. oleracea 21). According to shape, colour and texture, the following cabbages can be distinguished: round and green (B. oleracea 7); pointed and green (B. oleracea 8), (B. oleracea 9); savoy cabbages with wrinkled dark green leaves (B. oleracea 10); and red cabbages (B. oleracea 11), (B. oleracea 12) with red leaves containing anthocyanin pigments. Cabbages may be eaten cooked or raw and are sometimes pickled. Sauerkraut consists of fermented sliced cabbage leaves and is very popular in Germany and Russia.
4. Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera, Brussels sprouts (B. oleracea 14), are compact axillary buds resembling miniature cabbages (B. oleracea 15), about 3 cm in diameter, which are borne along a tall, single stem. Brussels sprouts were cultivated for centuries in Belgium before it spread to other European countries. As a vegetable it gained popularity in European countries after the First World War. They have a better taste than the large cabbages.
5. Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes, kohlrabi, is cultivated for its swollen short stem from which large leaves with long petioles arise. The rind of these stems and the petioles may be green (B. oleracea 16), or purple (B. oleracea 17). The flesh is always white. Kohlrabi was probably already known to the ancient Romans. Cooked kohlrabi is widely used as a vegetable in continental Europe, especially in Germany.
6. Brassica oleracea var. italica, broccoli (B. oleracea 18), resembles cauliflower, but green heads of buds are produced. The inflorescence may form a compact head, or produce smaller loose heads (B. oleracea 20). Broccoli runs easily to seed (B. oleracea 19). It has been grown in Italy for centuries, but only in recent times it gained economic importance. Today it is a popular vegetable in the US.