Introducing the Cabbage

There are various fruits and vegetables whose popularity and usage is widespread all over the planet. Cabbage is a green leafy vegetable. This vegetable plant is widely identifiable due to its wide array of application, from salads to stew. This article will give an overview of the characteristics of cabbage both as a plant as a cuisine ingredient.



The physical appearance of cabbage is quite amazing. It’s unlike any plant that you have seen before. It has a small stem which is crowded by a mass of leaves. The leaves are superimposed in layers forming a round and compact head. The plant is sometimes referred to as "head cabbage" due to this feature. The leaves on the outer layer of the head have a green color. However, the leaves in the inner layers have lighter colors. This is because of the lack of exposure to the sunlight. Cabbage belongs to the Brassica oleracea Linne species of the Family Brassicaceae.



There are two main varieties of cabbage. They are early and late. These two varieties differ from each other in terms of the length of time of maturity, the size of the heads and the edible parts of the heads. The early variety takes around 40 days to reach its full maturity. Even in its full maturity, the size of the head is typically small and compact. On the other hand, the late variety of cabbage takes longer to reach its full maturity. Cabbage becomes mature at around 90 days. Compared to the early variety, this plant has a much larger head. However, not all parts of the head can be eaten. Only the center section of the cabbage can be consumed.



This plant is flexible. It can be a biennial or perennial plant. It can live for up to 2 years or more. Cabbage dishes can be served raw or cooked. There are various culinary applications of cabbage. It can be a part of salads like vegetable salads. In this manner it is served raw. In Europe it is popular in soups and stews. It is also used as the base ingredient for the famous sauerkraut dish. Sauerkraut is a German dish which can be directly translated as "sour cabbage".



Cabbage has a variety in terms of its color. Other than the popular green color, there is also a red variety. When both are used to create dishes such as salads, this creates both a delicious and visually appealing food.