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{{Infobox Cultivar | name = Cabbage
| image = Cabbage.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = Cabbage, cultivar unknown
| species = ''[[Brassica oleracea]]''
| group = Capitata Group
| origin = [[Mediterranean]], [[1st century]]
| subdivision = Many; see text.
}}
{{nutritionalvalue | name=Cabbage, raw | kJ=102 | protein=1.4 g | carbs=5.6 g | fiber=2.3 g | sugars=3.6 g | fat=0.1 g | vitC_mg=32 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }}
:''[[Coronary artery bypass surgery]] is sometimes pronounced 'Cabbage(s)'.''
The '''cabbage''' (''[[Brassica oleracea]]'' Capitata Group) is a plant of the Family [[Brassicaceae]] (or Cruciferae). It is [[herbaceous]], [[biennial plant|biennial]], and a [[dicot|dicotyledonous]] [[flowering plant]] with leaves forming a characteristic compact cluster.
The cabbage is derived from a leafy [[Mustard plant|wild mustard]] plant, native to the [[Mediterranean]] region. It was known to the ancient [[ancient Greece|Greeks]] and [[ancient Rome|Romans]]; [[Cato the Elder]] praised this vegetable for its medicinal properties, declaring that "it is first of all the vegetables".<ref>"Brassica est quae omnibus holeribus antistat" (''[[De Agri Cultura]]'', ch. 156)</ref>. The English name derives from the [[Norman language|Normanno]]-[[Picard language|Picard]] ''caboche'' ("head"). Cabbage was developed by ongoing artificial selection for suppression of the internode length. The dense core of the cabbage is called the babchka.
==Uses==
The only part of the plant that is normally eaten is the leafy head; more precisely, the spherical cluster of immature leaves, excluding the partially unfolded outer leaves.
The so-called 'cabbage head' is widely consumed — raw, cooked, or preserved — in a great variety of dishes, and is thus a [[leaf vegetable]].
===Raw===
While raw cabbage can be eaten in hand, for most uses it is sliced into thin strips or shredded into salads or chopped, as in [[coleslaw]].
===Cooked===
Cabbage is often prepared by boiling, usually as part of [[soup]]s or [[stew]]s such as the [[Central European cuisine|Central Europe]] and [[Eastern European cuisine|Eastern Europe]]an [[borscht]]. Boiling tenderizes the leaves, and releases [[sugar]]s, and develops a characteristic "cabbage" aroma. Indeed, boiled cabbage seems to have fallen out of favor in North America, possibly due to the strong smell released during the cooking, or to its reputation for promoting [[flatulence]]. Boiled cabbage as an accompaniment to meats and other dishes can be an opportune source of [[umami]], [[sugar]]s and [[dietary fiber]].
===Fermented and preserved===
Cabbage is often consumed as the German [[sauerkraut]] and Korean [[kimchi]]. Finely sliced cabbage is mixed with salt and undergoes lactic acid fermentation. Sauerkraut was historically prepared at home, as a way of storing food for the winter.
===Poultice===
Cabbage is known to have been used in European folk medicine to treat acute inflammation.<ref>{{cite web|author=Helen M Woodman|title=Cabbage leaves are poor man's poultice|publisher=British Medical Journal|url = http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7412/451-c|accessdate = 2006-12-12}}</ref> A paste of raw cabbage may be placed in a cabbage leaf and wrapped around the affected area to reduce discomfort. It may also be effective in the relief of painfully engorged breasts in breastfeeding women.<ref>{{cite web|author=Alison Munns|title=Cabbage leaves can help inflammation of any body part|publisher=British Medical Journal|url=http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7412/451-b|accessdate = 2006-12-12}}</ref>
==Varieties==
There are many varieties of cabbage based on shape and time of maturity. Traditional varieties include "Late Flat Dutch", "Early Jersey Wakefield" (a conical variety), "Danish Ballhead" (late, round -headed). Savoy Cabbage has a round head with crinkled leaves. [[Red cabbage]] is a small, round headed type with dark red leaves. ''Krautman'' is the most common variety for commercial production of sauerkrauts.
==Cultivation==
[[Image:Cabbages - garden.JPG|thumb|ri
ght|Cabbage garden in Shanghai, China.]]
Broadly speaking, cabbage varieties come in two groups, early and late. The early varieties mature in about 45 days. They produce small heads which do not keep well and are intended for consumption while fresh. The late cabbage matures in about 87 days, and produces a larger head.
Cabbage can be started indoors or sowed directly. Like all brassicae, cabbage is a cool season crop, so early and late plantings do better than those maturing in the heat of the summer.
Control of insect pests is important, particularly in commercial production where appearance is a [[driver of success]]. The [[pesticide]]s [[sevin]] and [[malathion]] are both listed for use on cabbage. The [[caterpillar]]s of some [[butterfly|butterflies]] in the family [[Pieridae]] (the "whites") feed on brassicas and can be serious pests.
Cabbages keep well and were thus a common winter vegetable before [[refrigeration]] and long-distance shipping of produce.
==Related Brassica oleracea varieties==
Besides cabbage proper, the species ''Brassica oleracea'' has many distinctive [[cultivar]]s, which are commonly known by other names: [[broccoli]] (Italica Group), [[cauliflower]] (Botrytis Group), [[kale]], [[collard greens]], and [[spring greens]] (Acephala Group), [[kohlrabi]] (Gongylodes Group), [[brussels sprout]]s (Gemmifera Group), [[Chinese kale]] or Chinese broccoli (Alboglabra Group), [[broccolini]] (Italica × Alboglabra Group), and [[broccoflower]] (Italica × Botrytis Group).
==References==
<references />
==See also==
{{wiktionarypar|cabbage}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Cabbage}}
* [[Chinese cabbage]] resembles cabbage, but is derived from a different species ''Brassica campestris''
* [[Kerguelen cabbage]] is the distantly related ''Pringlea antiscorbutica''
* [[Cabbage soup diet]]
* [[Discordianism]]
==External links==
* [http://growingtaste.com/vegetables/cabbage.shtml Cabbage for the home gardener]
* [http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-1520:1 ''Preparation of cabbage for market''] hosted by the [http://digital.library.unt.edu/browse/department/govdocs/ UNT Government Documents Department]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Brassica]]
| image = Cabbage.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = Cabbage, cultivar unknown
| species = ''[[Brassica oleracea]]''
| group = Capitata Group
| origin = [[Mediterranean]], [[1st century]]
| subdivision = Many; see text.
}}
{{nutritionalvalue | name=Cabbage, raw | kJ=102 | protein=1.4 g | carbs=5.6 g | fiber=2.3 g | sugars=3.6 g | fat=0.1 g | vitC_mg=32 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }}
:''[[Coronary artery bypass surgery]] is sometimes pronounced 'Cabbage(s)'.''
The '''cabbage''' (''[[Brassica oleracea]]'' Capitata Group) is a plant of the Family [[Brassicaceae]] (or Cruciferae). It is [[herbaceous]], [[biennial plant|biennial]], and a [[dicot|dicotyledonous]] [[flowering plant]] with leaves forming a characteristic compact cluster.
The cabbage is derived from a leafy [[Mustard plant|wild mustard]] plant, native to the [[Mediterranean]] region. It was known to the ancient [[ancient Greece|Greeks]] and [[ancient Rome|Romans]]; [[Cato the Elder]] praised this vegetable for its medicinal properties, declaring that "it is first of all the vegetables".<ref>"Brassica est quae omnibus holeribus antistat" (''[[De Agri Cultura]]'', ch. 156)</ref>. The English name derives from the [[Norman language|Normanno]]-[[Picard language|Picard]] ''caboche'' ("head"). Cabbage was developed by ongoing artificial selection for suppression of the internode length. The dense core of the cabbage is called the babchka.
==Uses==
The only part of the plant that is normally eaten is the leafy head; more precisely, the spherical cluster of immature leaves, excluding the partially unfolded outer leaves.
The so-called 'cabbage head' is widely consumed — raw, cooked, or preserved — in a great variety of dishes, and is thus a [[leaf vegetable]].
===Raw===
While raw cabbage can be eaten in hand, for most uses it is sliced into thin strips or shredded into salads or chopped, as in [[coleslaw]].
===Cooked===
Cabbage is often prepared by boiling, usually as part of [[soup]]s or [[stew]]s such as the [[Central European cuisine|Central Europe]] and [[Eastern European cuisine|Eastern Europe]]an [[borscht]]. Boiling tenderizes the leaves, and releases [[sugar]]s, and develops a characteristic "cabbage" aroma. Indeed, boiled cabbage seems to have fallen out of favor in North America, possibly due to the strong smell released during the cooking, or to its reputation for promoting [[flatulence]]. Boiled cabbage as an accompaniment to meats and other dishes can be an opportune source of [[umami]], [[sugar]]s and [[dietary fiber]].
===Fermented and preserved===
Cabbage is often consumed as the German [[sauerkraut]] and Korean [[kimchi]]. Finely sliced cabbage is mixed with salt and undergoes lactic acid fermentation. Sauerkraut was historically prepared at home, as a way of storing food for the winter.
===Poultice===
Cabbage is known to have been used in European folk medicine to treat acute inflammation.<ref>{{cite web|author=Helen M Woodman|title=Cabbage leaves are poor man's poultice|publisher=British Medical Journal|url = http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7412/451-c|accessdate = 2006-12-12}}</ref> A paste of raw cabbage may be placed in a cabbage leaf and wrapped around the affected area to reduce discomfort. It may also be effective in the relief of painfully engorged breasts in breastfeeding women.<ref>{{cite web|author=Alison Munns|title=Cabbage leaves can help inflammation of any body part|publisher=British Medical Journal|url=http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7412/451-b|accessdate = 2006-12-12}}</ref>
==Varieties==
There are many varieties of cabbage based on shape and time of maturity. Traditional varieties include "Late Flat Dutch", "Early Jersey Wakefield" (a conical variety), "Danish Ballhead" (late, round -headed). Savoy Cabbage has a round head with crinkled leaves. [[Red cabbage]] is a small, round headed type with dark red leaves. ''Krautman'' is the most common variety for commercial production of sauerkrauts.
==Cultivation==
[[Image:Cabbages - garden.JPG|thumb|ri
ght|Cabbage garden in Shanghai, China.]]
Broadly speaking, cabbage varieties come in two groups, early and late. The early varieties mature in about 45 days. They produce small heads which do not keep well and are intended for consumption while fresh. The late cabbage matures in about 87 days, and produces a larger head.
Cabbage can be started indoors or sowed directly. Like all brassicae, cabbage is a cool season crop, so early and late plantings do better than those maturing in the heat of the summer.
Control of insect pests is important, particularly in commercial production where appearance is a [[driver of success]]. The [[pesticide]]s [[sevin]] and [[malathion]] are both listed for use on cabbage. The [[caterpillar]]s of some [[butterfly|butterflies]] in the family [[Pieridae]] (the "whites") feed on brassicas and can be serious pests.
Cabbages keep well and were thus a common winter vegetable before [[refrigeration]] and long-distance shipping of produce.
==Related Brassica oleracea varieties==
Besides cabbage proper, the species ''Brassica oleracea'' has many distinctive [[cultivar]]s, which are commonly known by other names: [[broccoli]] (Italica Group), [[cauliflower]] (Botrytis Group), [[kale]], [[collard greens]], and [[spring greens]] (Acephala Group), [[kohlrabi]] (Gongylodes Group), [[brussels sprout]]s (Gemmifera Group), [[Chinese kale]] or Chinese broccoli (Alboglabra Group), [[broccolini]] (Italica × Alboglabra Group), and [[broccoflower]] (Italica × Botrytis Group).
==References==
<references />
==See also==
{{wiktionarypar|cabbage}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Cabbage}}
* [[Chinese cabbage]] resembles cabbage, but is derived from a different species ''Brassica campestris''
* [[Kerguelen cabbage]] is the distantly related ''Pringlea antiscorbutica''
* [[Cabbage soup diet]]
* [[Discordianism]]
==External links==
* [http://growingtaste.com/vegetables/cabbage.shtml Cabbage for the home gardener]
* [http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-1520:1 ''Preparation of cabbage for market''] hosted by the [http://digital.library.unt.edu/browse/department/govdocs/ UNT Government Documents Department]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Brassica]]
