Cabbage – Head of Vegetable Family

The cabbage group includes the common cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, and collard. They are rich in vitamins and minerals and low in calories. People eat cabbage raw or cooked. Cauliflower has a head of tight thick white flowers. Broccoli has bright green loosely clustered flowers. Brussels sprout has many little cabbage-like heads. Kale and kohlrabi have loose leaves that spread outward from a stem.
The history of cabbage began in the prehistoric era, as evidenced by archaeological excavations of Stone Age man’s sites. For a long time people used wild cabbage. Later, as a result of the selection, several varieties of this plant were created, including the head cabbage.

Homer mentioned cabbage in his Iliad nearly 3,000 years ago. Wild cabbage is native to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and also grows on the sea cliffs of Great Britain.
In ancient Rome, cabbage was not only a tasty and healthy food, but also a cure for almost all diseases. Builders of the Great Wall of China ate pickled cabbage back in 200 BC.
In France a popular term for a loved one is petit choux, which means “little cabbage”.
The Lundy cabbage is an herb. Its stems are woody, covered with downward spreading hairs, and have few leaves. Flowers are clustered at the tops of the stems. It is found only on Lundy Island on slopes and sea cliffs.
Cabbage is very useful for your health. It contains bioflavonoids, chlorophyll, indole and phenol that fight free radicals, thus preventing the development of cancer cells and slowing down the aging process. Those who often eat a miracle-vegetable, reduces the risk of cancer of the digestive system and the lungs, breast and prostate. Heated leaves of the plant were used to relieve pain in the joints. And, of course, this vegetable is a real storehouse of vitamin C.
Sauerkraut is the only product of plant origin that contains vitamin B12. Without it normal growth and development of children is impossible. The great navigator James Cook believed that the success of his expeditions depended on the daily portion of sauerkraut, which saved the sailors from scurvy and other dangerous diseases.
In ancient Greece the cabbage was considered a symbol of sobriety. In China, cabbage is considered a symbol of wealth.

Cabbage – Head of Vegetable Family

Cabbage in art

Cabbage creativity by Ju Duoqi

Monuments to cabbage