Name: Savoy cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. sabauda) — a round cabbage with deeply crinkled, ruffled, dark green leaves and a mild, sweet flavour. It is named after the Savoy region in the French-Italian Alps.
Description
Savoy cabbage was developed in northern Europe, and is first described in the 16th century. It is more tender and milder than ordinary green cabbage, and its crinkled leaves hold sauces and fillings well, which makes it a favourite for stuffing and for use in soups. It is hardy, and frost makes it sweeter.
In French cooking, it is used in potée and chou farci, and in Italy in soups and with pasta. Its leaves are loosely packed and cook quickly, so the cabbage stays tender, rather than going soggy.
Main nutrition value
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Savoy cabbage provides vitamin K, vitamin C, folate and fibre, plus carotenoids, for few calories.
How best to be consumed
Savoy cabbage is tender and mild, and good raw or cooked.
- Blanch the leaves and stuff them with rice, meat or herbs.
- Shred into soups, stews and pasta, as in Italian and French dishes.
- Sauté quickly with butter, garlic and bacon.
- Shred raw into salads and slaws, which is milder than ordinary cabbage.
- Store whole in the fridge, where it keeps for a couple of weeks.
Overconsumption could cause…
Savoy cabbage is safe and healthy in food amounts.
- Bloating and gas, since cruciferous vegetables contain raffinose and other fermentable carbohydrates.
- Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
- 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.
- A sulphurous smell and soggy texture if overcooked.
Wikipedia — Savoy cabbage, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoy_cabbage
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