View source for Cabbage

{{Nofootnotes|date=April 2008}}
{{otheruses}}
{{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=103 | protein=1.28 g | fat=0.1 g | carbs=5.8 g | fiber=2.5 g | | sugars=3.2 g | iron_mg=0.47 | calcium_mg=40 | magnesium_mg=12 | phosphorus_mg=26 | potassium_mg=170 | zinc_mg=0.18 | vitC_mg=36.6 | pantothenic_mg=0.212 | vitB6_mg=0.124 | folate_ug=53 | thiamin_mg=0.061 | riboflavin_mg=0.040 | niacin_mg=0.234 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }}

The '''cabbage''' (''[[Brassica oleracea]]'' Capitata Group), is a plant of the Family [[Brassicaceae]] (or Cruciferae).  It is a [[herbaceous]], [[biennial plant|biennial]], and [[dicot]]yledonous [[flowering plant]] with leaves forming a characteristic compact cluster. Cabbages grown late in autumn and in the beginning of winter are called '''coleworts'''.  

The cabbage is derived from a leafy [[Brassica oleracea|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{{Fact|date=April 2008}}.  It is related to the [[turnip]]. 

The sharp or bitter taste sometimes present in cabbage is due to [[glucosinolate]](s).

==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. Cabbage is a [[leaf vegetable]].

===Raw===
Raw cabbage is usually sliced into thin strips or shredded for use in salads, such as [[coleslaw]]. It can also replace [[iceberg lettuce]] in sandwiches. Cabbage is an excellent source of Vitamin C.

===Cooked===
Cabbage is often added to [[soup]]s or [[stew]]s. Cabbage soup is popular in [[central Europe]] and [[Eastern European cuisine|eastern Europe]], and cabbage is an ingredient in some kinds of [[borscht]].  Cabbage is also used in many popular dishes in India. Boiling tenderizes the leaves and releases [[sugar]]s, which leads to the characteristic "cabbage" aroma. Boiled cabbage has become stigmatized in North America because of its strong cooking odor and the belief that it causes [[flatulence]].  Boiled cabbage as an accompaniment to meats and other dishes can be an opportune source of vitamins and [[dietary fiber]]. [[Cabbage roll|Stuffed cabbage]] is an East European  and Middle Eastern delicacy. The leaves are softened by [[parboiling]] or placing the whole head of cabbage in the freezer, and then filled with chopped meat and/or rice.

===Fermented and preserved===
Cabbage is the basis for the German [[sauerkraut]] and Korean [[kimchi]]. To pickle cabbage it is placed in a jar, covered with water and salt, and left in a warm place for several days to ferment.  Sauerkraut was historically prepared at home in large batches, as a way of storing food for the winter. Cabbage can also be pickled in vinegar with various spices, alone or in combination with other vegetables. Korean [[baechu]] kimchi is usually sliced thicker than its European counterpart, and the addition of onions, chilies, minced garlic and gingers is common.

===Medicinal properties===
In European folk medicine, cabbage leaves are used 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. Some claim it is effective in relieving 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>

Cabbage contains significant amounts of glutamine, an [[amino acid]], which has anti-inflammatory properties.

It is a source of indol-3-carbinol, or I3C, a compound used as an adjuvent therapy for [[Laryngeal papillomatosis|recurrent respiratory papillomatosis]], a disease of the head and neck caused by human papillomavirus (usually types 6 and 11) that causes growths in the airway that can lead to death.

==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|right|Garden of flowering kale, a member of the cabbage family, 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.

[[Image:2005cabbage.PNG|thumb|left|Cabbage output in 2005]]

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; see also [[List of Lepidoptera that feed on Brassica]].

Cabbages keep well and were thus a common winter vegetable before [[refrigeration]] and long-distance shipping of produce.

[[China]] is leader in production of cabbages followed by [[India]] and then [[Russia|Russian Federation]].

{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable" align=left style="clear:left"
! colspan=5|Top Ten Cabbage Producers — 2005 
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30%" | Country
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="25%" | Production (Int $1000)
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="10%" | Footnote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="25%" | Production (MT)
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="10%" | Footnote
|-
| {{PRC}} || 4,921,150 || C || 34,101,000 || F 
|-
| {{IND}} || 881,400 || C || 6,000,000 || F 
|-
| {{RUS}} || 585,396 || C || 3,985,000 || * 
|-
| {{KOR}} || 484,770 || C || 3,300,000 || F 
|-
| {{JPN}} || 323,180 || C || 2,200,000 || F 
|-
| {{USA}} || 316,668 || C || 2,155,670 || F 
|-
| {{UKR}} || 239,741 || C || 1,632,000 || * 
|-
| {{POL}} || 205,660 || C || 1,400,000 || 
|-
| {{IDN}} || 189,896 || C || 1,292,687	
|-
| {{GER}} || 143,228 || C || 975,000 || F 
|-
|colspan=5 style="font-size:.7em"|No symbol = official figure,F = FAO estimate, * = Unofficial figure, C = Calculated figure;<br>
Production in Int $1000 have been calculated based on 1999-2001 international prices<br>
Source: [http://www.fao.org/es/ess/top/commodity.html?lang=en&item=358&year=2005 Food And Agricultural Organization of United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Devision]
|}
{{-}}

==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).

==Linguistic associations==
During World War II, "kraut" (cabbage) was a racial slur for Germans. In Hebrew, the term "rosh kruv" (cabbage head) implies stupidity.

In England in the late 1950s, French language teachers taught from a textbook the phrase "ma petite chou" -- my little cabbage -- as an endearment from a man to a woman.  This is still used today as can be seen at: <ref>[http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1044250 Writing.Com: Shamrocks Falling Chapter 9<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

''“See there ma petite chou, now everything is worked out.”  Patricia turned and walked back to the desk. “Gérard, why must you call me ma petite chou all the time?”  
''“Ma chérie, it is an endearment. If you understood that in French…”
''She cut him off mid sentence. “I know what it means Gérard. Even with my limited French vocabulary I know that it means my small cabbage.”''
''“But that is not the endearment. You do not understand…”''''''

In England, cabbage is a slang synonym for "cash", especially paper money.<ref>[http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/cabbage Cabbage entry at Reference.com's Thesaurus]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
{{wiktionarypar|cabbage}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Cabbage}}
* [[Chinese cabbage]] resembles cabbage, but is derived from a different species  of the same [[genus]], ''[[Brassica]] campestris''
* [[Kerguelen cabbage]] is the distantly related ''Pringlea antiscorbutica''
* [[Cabbage soup diet]]
* [[Cabbage Patch Kids]]

==External links==
*[http://database.prota.org/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?AC=QBE_QUERY&BU=http%3A%2F%2Fdatabase.prota.org%2Fsearch.htm&TN=PROTAB~1&QB0=AND&QF0=Species+Code&QI0=Brassica+oleracea+kohlrabi&RF=Webdisplay PROTAbase on ''Brassica oleracea (kohlrabi)''] 


[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Brassica]]
[[Category:Cultivars]]

[[ar:ملفوف]]
[[zh-min-nan:Ko-lê-chhài]]
[[cs:Hlávkové zelí]]
[[cy:Bresychen]]
[[da:Hvidkål]]
[[de:Weißkohl]]
[[el:Λάχανο]]
[[es:Repollo]]
[[fi:Kaali]]
[[fr:Chou commun]]
[[ko:양배추]]
[[hi:बंद गोभी]]
[[id:Kubis]]
[[he:כרוב]]
[[ms:Kubis Bulat]]
[[nl:Wittekool]]
[[ja:キャベツ]]
[[nn:Kvitkål]]
[[nrm:Caboche]]
[[pl:Kapusta głowiasta]]
[[pt:Repolho]]
[[sr:Купус]]
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