CABBAGE
Cabbage is one of the most and oldest cultivated vegetables, partly because it is available throughout the year. However, cabbage is at its best during late autumn. There are several different types of cabbage, in different colors and flavors, and they suit to different kinds of dishes. Cabbage is a round vegetable, composed of many leaves that are layered upon each other, and vary in color - the outer leaves are most exposed to sunlight and therefore have most chlorophyll (green), while the inner leaves are more pale. The cabbage leaves are the ones that are eaten. There is also an inner core in the cabbage, usually not eaten, although it possesses some strong flavor and therefore some people still like to eat it, raw or in salads.
The major varieties of cabbage are the green, red, and Savoy. Green and red cabbage are so named simply due to their color as they are both fairly equal in texture and looks. Red cabbage is slightly sweeter, but it's as crunchy as its green brother. Savoy cabbage (see picture above) is quite different - its leaves are yellow-green and are more ruffled, and Savoy cabbage is also known for its more refined, delicate flavor that people enjoy. Another type of cabbage that has set its foot in the Western part of the world is the Asian bok choy. It is quite delicate and has a characteristic elongated shape. Besides all these cabbage variants, we also have other members of the big cabbage family, including broccoli and Brussels sprouts, but they deserve their own articles on our web page.
When you buy cabbage, look for the heads with shiny, firm, crispy leaves. Avoid any wilted, slimy, browned, or bruised vegetables, because they not only taste bad, but also may contain some cabbage worms inside. We also suggest that you don't buy any pre-cut cabbage since its taste is not that good as when freshly cut, and it also wilts and dehydrates faster. Keep your cabbage cold in a plastic bag in refrigerator. In these conditions you should be able to keep it fairly fresh for about one week, except for the Savoy cabbage that keeps a little shorter. Usually, when people cook, larger or smaller unused leftovers of cabbage remain (since the veggie is so big and it's hard to use everything at once). In this situation, the cabbage parts can also be stored in the refrigerator, although they need to be used as soon as possible, preferably day after or so.
Preparation of cabbage is fairly simple. Remove the outer leaves off the cabbage head and discard. The rest of the leaves are removed from the core/stem and rinsed in water. Make sure that there are no worms in the cabbage. Then simply chop them to the desired size, using a stainless steel knife (cabbage enzymes will react with carbon steel and discolor it!). To retain as much of the nutritional value of the cabbage as possible, make sure to not cook it too much. Either eat the cabbage raw or cook it just briefly for a few minutes, so that the leaves still retain some of their crispiness, or just so they get soft. It is also recommended to let the cabbage rest for 10 minutes after chopping, before you cook it. That's because chopping releases some of the beneficial enzymes from the naturally intact compartments within the cabbage leaves, and these enzymes react with other cabbage proteins to create health-beneficial molecules that prevent cancer and are good for detoxification processes. Fermented cabbage (sauerkraut) is excellent as nutritious food as well.
Cabbage goes well with other fall vegetables and fruits, including apples, leeks, beets, or potatoes. It is therefore perfect in soups, or braised in some aromatic liquid. Some fine wine is also good with cabbage. And of course, butter!
Even if you don't care about preserving the healthy aspects of cabbage: one word of caution! You shouldn't cook your cabbage for too long, because prolonged heat will produce a chemical reaction between certain sulfuric components in the cabbage, which will create the fowl overcooked cabbage smell. Avoid this!