Cabbage belongs to the family Brassicaceae which is closely related to broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. It consists of soft, light green, or whitish inner leaves covered with harder and dark green outer leaves. The Cabbage is a leafy green, red, or white biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. Cabbage is biennial plant, which means that it finishes its life cycle in two years.
Cabbage is low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Cabbage grows 16 to 24 inches in height during the first year of life (during the formation of head) and 4.9 to 6.6 feet during the second year of life (when plant produces flowers).
Cabbage is high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, potassium, manganese, vitamin A, thiamin, vitamin B6, calcium and iron.
First leaves are egg-shaped and alternately arranged on the stem. Depending on the variety, leaves can be green, white or purple in color and wavy, lobed or dissected on the edges.
One cup of cabbage is about 15 calories.
Cabbage has thin taproot that usually grows 8 to 12 inches deep into the ground. Lateral roots can reach depth of 6.6 feet.
Drinking juiced cabbage is known to assist in curing stomach and intestinal ulcers.
Cabbage develops yellow and white flowers gathered in terminal, unbranched inflorescence.
Evidence shows cabbages have been cultivated for over 4,000 years.
Insects are main pollinators of flowers. Cabbage needs to be planted 0.5 to one mile away from related species of cabbage to prevent cross-pollination.
Russians eat more than seven times as much cabbage as the average North American.
Cabbage develops head 70 to 120 days after planting. Head can be elongated, pointed or rounded, depending on the variety. Rosette composed of 7 to 15 leaves can be seen at the beginning. Subsequent leaves are inwardly oriented. They have short petiole and develop close to each other, leading to the formation of densely packed head.
Babe Ruth used to wear a cabbage leaf under his baseball cap during games and it is reported he switched it out for a new leaf halfway through the game.
Flowering cabbages are grown for ornamental purposes. These types of cabbage do not develop heads. Instead, they have miniature white, red or pink leaves surrounded with larger green or purple leaves.
Scrolls from 1000 BC found in China stated cabbage could be used to cure baldness in men.
Most popular cultivars of cabbage are savoy, spring greens, green, red and white cabbage. They differ in color and in the shape and size of leaves and head.
The Celts brought cabbage to Europe from Asia around 600 BC.
Cabbage is rich source of vitamins C, K, B6 and B9 and minerals such as manganese and calcium.
Cabbage can be consumed raw (in the form of salads), cooked or pickled.
Cabbage contains quantities of fiber and iron, which help keep the digestive tract and colon in a healthy condition.
80.191 cabbage rolls weighing 1.221 pounds were prepared in Macedonia in 2008. This is still the largest ever made cabbage dish.
In Hebrew, the term “rosh kruv” (cabbagehead) implies stupidity.
Cabbage can be used as laxative, to treat intestinal ulcers, engorged breasts, rheumatism, sore throat, melancholy and to extract excess heat from the body.
Brussels sprouts, which are in the cabbage family, are the youngest with records dating back only 500 years.
Latest studies showed that cabbage can prevent development of certain types of cancer.
Red cabbage makes an excellent all-natural dye in food or on fabric.
China is the greatest manufacturer of cabbage, while Russia consumes the greatest amount of cabbage in the world: 44 pounds per person per year.
Sauerkraut is a dish made from fermented cabbage. Dutch sailors used to eat it on long journeys to prevent scurvy.
