Cabbage

Although they look very different, cabbage, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are all the same species of plant. The differences between these plants are the results of thousands of years of human cultivation and selective propagation.

Cabbages are from the family Cruciferae, a large family which contains many vegetables. It is also called the mustard family.
The family name comes from the Latin word for "cross" and was given to members of this family because the flowers are cross-shaped . Cole crops are herbaceous, biennial, dicotyledonous plants specifically from the genus and species, Brassica oleracea.
There is historical and botanical evidence that cabbage has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years and domesticated for over 2,500 years. Before cole crops were domesticated they were collected from the wild and used primarily as medicinal herbs. The other forms were domesticated at later dates. Brussels sprouts are the most recent crop, having come into existence less than 500 years ago.

Cabbage Origins
Although Cabbage is often connected to the Irish, the Celts brought cabbage to Europe from Asia around 600 B.C.
In the wild, Cabbage species are native to the Mediterranean. Wild Cole crops are found growing along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe. Cabbages and kale presumably originated in Western Europe; cauliflower and broccoli in the Mediterranean region.
Cabbages were first grown by the Slavs in the 9th century. Greek and Roman colonists brought cabbages from the Black Sea region into Russia. It was probably the Celts who introduced Cabbage to lands they invaded from the Mediterranean to the British Isles and Asia Minor.
Since Cabbage grows well in cool climates, yields large harvests, and stores well during winter, it soon became a major crop in Europe. Early Cabbage was not the full-bodied head we take for granted today, but rather a more loose-leaf variety. The head variety was developed during the Middle Ages by northern European farmers. 'Coles' were described by European writers in the first, third, fourth and 13th centuries.
Colewort, or headless Cabbage plants, such as kale and collards were brought to the United States with the arrival of the white man. It is not believed to have been cultivated by the native tribes of either North or South America.
French navigator Jacques Cartier is generally credited with the introduction of the Cabbage to the Americas in 1536. Most likely the Cabbage was brought to North America in the 1600's. The first North American record of planting cabbages was in 1699.
The variety of Napa Cabbage, introduced into Japan from China in the 1860s, was brought to North America by immigrant laborers in the 1880's and 1890's.

Origin of the Name
What food did the Greeks, Romans, Hindis, Tartars and the Celts all have in common? Coleworts - a primitive cabbage.
Coleworts or colewyrts is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning cabbage plants. The Anglo-Saxon's got the word from the Romans whose word 'coles' or 'caulis' referenced the whole group of cabbage-like plants. The German word 'Kohl' has the same origin. Kale is a Scottish word from, you guessed it, the same Roman root word 'coles'. Collard is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon word colewyrts.
The linguistic roots of the story of this very ancient plant go much deeper. The Tartars called it Kappes, krout, or kapost, the Hindi called it kopi, the Norwegians called it kaal and the Spanish called it col. The original Greek word (from which the Romans got caulis) was Kaulion.
Cabbage is from a group of plants known as the Cole crops. The word "Cole" derives from the Middle English word "col". The Romans called these crops "caulis", and the Greeks called them "kaulion". All these words mean "stem". The English name cabbage comes from the French caboche, meaning head, referring to its round form.
In Chinese, the word for "vegetable" is choi, which is the same word for cabbage. Kohlrabi (also known as cabbage turnip and stem cabbage) is a member of the same species. The cabbage has a place in almost every cuisine from Korean kim chee, German sauerkraut, and Irish colcannon, to New England corned beef and cabbage. Kohlrabi is popular in Austrian, German, and Eastern European soups and stews; in Chinese dishes, where it often substitutes for the similar-tasting Chinese broccoli; and in the American South, where it joins any gathering of mixed boiled greens.
Nutritional value:
•Uncooked Cabbage is high in glutamine, an amino acid that is essential for intestinal health.
•Cabbages are a good source of Vitamin K, which is essential inthe production of blood clotting proteins.
•Cabbage is high in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure, promotes a steady heartbeat, and can lower your risk of stroke.
•Savoy Cabbage is among the highest in beta-carotene.
•Bok Choy and Chinese Cabbage are highest in calcium.
•Cabbage contains quercetin, an antioxidant that is a natural antihistamine that can benefit allergy sufferers.
•Red Cabbage provides the most Vitamin C.
•Cabbage juice can be used to treat stomach ulcers and help stop any bleeding.
•All Colewyrts are high in vitamins A and C, and in the mineral iron.
• Cabbage juice is used to relieve constipation. However it may cause flatulence as the juice breaks down putrefying matter in the intestines. Cabbage leaves are considered ideal roughage.
• A chemical (isothiocyanates) found in cabbages may lower the risk of lung cancer in smokers by as much as 38%.

This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Calcium, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese.Nutritional data

Selection: Choose firm cabbages that are heavy for their size, with crisp leaves and no sign of browning.

Storage: Keep cabbages very cold, or they may acquire a pronounced elderly cabbage taste. Wrap in ventilated plastic. Store for a shorter time than their sturdy look suggests. Discard the inner core and outer leaves prior to preparation.

Preparation: Small leaves can be left whole or sliced into ½-inch pieces. Cabbages may be served raw in salads, added to side dishes, stews and stir fries, or boiled. One use for Napa cabbage is to shred the leaves and combine them with soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar for an Asian inspired coleslaw.