Digging into .. the History of Cabbage

In honor of the Filderkraut Cabbage being the first of my heirloom seeds to sprout, I decided to look into the history of cabbage ... where the plant originated, and how it got to my region of the world. 

I love cabbage. I'm Polish, and so, of course, kapusta was a regular on my dinner plate growing up--it's an undeniable great partner to pork or kielbasa, and it is delicious stuffed in delicate pierogi dough or piled high on top of a Ball Park frank. About the time when my Filderkraut and Red varieties are ready for harvest, I'll share some favorite recipes.

Cabbage, a member of the Brassica family, has been identified as one of the oldest known vegetables. Stories of ancient mythology have cabbages springing from the tears of Lycurgus, King of the Edonians. Egyptian pharoahs reportedly ate large quantities of cabbage before nights of partying, believing that the vegetable would prevent the ill effects of consuming mass amounts of alcohol.

Cabbage was also loved by both the Greeks and Romans, who used it not only as a food source but for medicinal purposes. Cato the Elder, Roman general and author, praised cabbage for its medicinal properties, declaring: "It is the cabbage that surpasses all other vegetables." He believed that there were great health benefits from bathing in the urine from a person who eats cabbage. Roman philosopher and naturalist Pliny the Elder recommended the juice of the raw cabbage combined with honey for sore and inflamed eyes, among other ailments. People from many cultures have used cabbage leaves to soothe and heal--they have been wrapped around sore throats and placed over swollen breasts of nursing mothers.

Nutritionists praise cabbage for its nutritional value. It is low in calories and high in vitamins--as such, it has become a dieter's dream (remember the Cabbage Soup Diet of the 1980s?). Cabbage is high in vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It has anti-inflammatory properties, has been used to treat ulcers and digestive issues, and is even believed to fight against cancer.

Early cabbage plants were not as we know them today, but were weedy and spindly, more like kale, which is in the same family (as are broccoli and Brussels sprouts). Today's cabbage forms a head, which is the edible part of the plant--it is believed that European farmers developed this adapted version during the Middle Ages. Cabbage was brought to North America in the mid-1500s by Jacques Cartier, and the first written record of it in the United States was from 1669. As it is a cold crop, cabbage is grown primarily in the northern and coastal regions of the United States and Canada.

I chose two varieties of cabbage for my inaugural heirloom garden:  Filderkraut Cabbage and Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage. Filderkraut, also known as Spitzkohl, is an ancient German heirloom that grows in an impressive cone shape, and per Annie's Heirloom Seeds, makes for the best tasting sauerkraut. It's one of the sweetest of cabbages and is supposed to be easy to grate. I plan to use the Mammoth Red Rock, a variety introduced in 1889, in mixed green salads and coleslaw, in its fresh form to best enjoy its crisp texture and sweet flavor.

Sources:

"Cabbage," Gardenology.com, http://www.gardenology.org/wiki/Cabbage.

"Cabbage," Herbs that Heal,  http://herbalsimples.com/cabbage.htm.

"Cabbage: Cabbage History, Cabbage Facts & Cabbage Recipes," http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART_II/food_history_and_facts/cabbage.html.

"Cabbage Quotes," http://www.foodreference.com/html/qcabbage.html.

Cheney, Garnett, "Rapid Healing of Peptic Ulcers in Patients Recieving Fresh Cabbage Juice," Western Journal of Medicine, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1643665/?tool=pmcentrez.

Filippone, Peggy Trowbridge, "Cabbage Lore and Legend," http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodlore/a/cabbagelore.htm.

"Nutritional Value of Cabbage," Livestrong.com, http://www.livestrong.com/article/243474-nutritional-value-of-cabbage/.

Salloum, Habeeb. "Cabbage: One of the Most Nutritious Vegetables," Countryside & Small Small Stock Journal, http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/91/91-4/Habeeb_Salloum.html.