History of Cabbage

History of Cabbage
Cabbage is a plant under family group of Brassicaceae. The botanical name for cabbage is Brassica oleracea capitata. The cabbage is a native of Mediterranean region.

It was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans; Cato and Elder praised this vegetable for its medicinal properties.

Cabbage has anti-inflammatory properties. In traditional medicine, a paste of raw cabbage leaf and wrapped around is used to treat acute inflammation. Cabbage is known to reduce the risk of cancers, especially lung colon, breast, ovarian and bladder cancer.

Currently, research reveals that cabbage provides significant cardiovascular benefits too. Cabbage has a long history of use both as a food and a medicine.

It was developed from wild cabbage, a vegetable that was closer in appearance to collards and kale since it was composed of leaves that did not form a head.

North China probably is the original home of Chinese cabbage. It is favored for pickling and suitable to go over rice.

It is thought that wild cabbage was brought to Europe around 600 B.C. by groups of Celtic wanderers. It was grown in Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations that held it in high regard as a general panacea capable of treating a host of health conditions.

Turks introduced pickles cabbage into Poland and Hungary during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In early 1700’s cabbage, pork, sausage, lentils and rye bread were the mainstay of Germany’s hearty meals.

Cabbage tends to pickling and one of the favorite uses of cabbage is sauerkraut. It was believed that the idea of sauerkraut developed by the Celts who were cultivating the variety of cabbage around 200 B.C. Dutch sailors consumed sauerkraut during extended exploration voyages to prevent scurvy. Early German settlers introduced cabbage and the traditional sauerkraut recipe into the United States.

Today cabbage is most popular eaten as coleslaw. In this form it’s readily available as a side dish at fast food restaurant. Actually coleslaw derived from ‘kool’ (cabbage in Dutch) and salad is ‘sla’. History of Cabbage