Kohlrabi

Name: Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes) — a pale green or purple, bulb-shaped vegetable that is actually a swollen stem, with leaves sprouting from its surface like a spaceship. The name is German for “cabbage turnip.” A separate Root Vegetables page also covers it.

Description

Kohlrabi was developed in northern Europe from wild cabbage, and has been described since the 16th century, becoming popular in Germany, Eastern Europe and later India, where it is called knol khol and is a common curry vegetable. It grows quickly in cool weather.

The flesh is crisp, juicy, pale and mild, with a taste somewhere between a broccoli stem and a sweet radish or turnip. Young kohlrabi are tender, while large ones can be woody. The leaves are also edible and cooked like collard greens.

Main nutrition value

Kohlrabi is a good source of vitamin C, with potassium, fibre and some vitamin B6, and is very low in calories.

How best to be consumed

Kohlrabi is eaten raw or cooked, once peeled.

1. Peel the tough outer skin, then slice or grate raw into slaws and salads.
2. Cut into sticks to eat with dips.
3. Roast, steam or add to curries, soups and stews, as in Indian cooking.
4. Cook the leaves as you would collards or kale.
5. Choose small to medium bulbs, which are the tenderest.

Overconsumption could cause…

Kohlrabi is safe and healthy in food amounts.

1. Bloating and gas, since cruciferous vegetables contain raffinose and other fermentable carbohydrates.
2. Possible effects on thyroid function in people with an underactive thyroid or iodine deficiency if very large amounts are eaten raw, since brassicas contain goitrogens; normal cooked servings are fine.
3. A woody texture if the bulb is too large or old.
4. Digestive discomfort from a lot of raw fibre in some people.

GroupsCruciferous VegetablesRoot VegetablesCruciferous (cabbage family)Low fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin CFresh

Related foodsTurnipRadishDaikon / White RadishBlack RadishHorseradishRutabaga / Swede

Wikipedia — Kohlrabi, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrabi