The types of cabbage
Whichever variety you choose, cabbage is a vegetable rich in minerals (potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron) and vitamins (C, A, B9, E, K ...). It is a remineralizing, invigorating and energetic "all-rounder" at the same time, as long as it is eaten shortly after purchase and is not overcooked, to avoid losing its qualities. Its revitalizing and diuretic virtues are particularly appreciated in periods of "detoxification".
3 tips for preparation:
1) Wash the cabbage with water and vinegar to get the insects out.
2) To preserve the color of the cauliflower: throw it in boiling salted water mixed with vinegar for 2-5 minutes and then immediately in ice water to fix the chlorophyll.
3) Avoid the smell and make it easier to digest: add a piece of dry bread to the cooking water and a pinch of baking soda that will absorb the sulfur (responsible for the smell of cabbage) and fix the color.
Cabbage table
Green cabbage or cauliflower
Identity card
Cauliflower, also called cimone, is one of the most popular cabbages. The edible part is constituted by the swelling of the floral peduncles which group together at the moment of ripening.
The best are firm and compact, with no brown or grayish spots.
Cauliflower can be white, creamy white, or purplish.
In the kitchen
It can be eaten steamed or sautéed, more rarely raw (better blanched for 5 minutes first).
What accompanies
It is a very versatile food, used to prepare first courses, as a side dish, puree, in soups, or preserved in oil or vinegar.
Broccoli
Identity card
The broccoli cabbage has a short stem and intense green inflorescences, its flowers are whitish, similar to those of cauliflower but much smaller. Branchy broccoli cabbage is similar to cauliflower, it differs in the blue-green color of its heads and small lateral shoots called broccoli.
In the kitchen
It is consumed after cooking, boiled or steamed.
What accompanies
Cheese, salmon and tuna, parmesan, tomatoes, almonds, white meat.
Brussels sprouts
Identity card
It seems that they originated in Italy, and only later were they brought to Belgium by the Romans. They contain a higher quantity of vitamin E than broccoli. They must be compact and hard, bright in color.
In the kitchen
They are eaten cooked, boiled or steamed.
What they accompany
They have a bitter aftertaste that not everyone likes: this characteristic makes them suitable for pairing with sweet foods such as chestnuts, chickpeas, fruit sauces.
Cabbage
Identity card
It is made up of smooth leaves grouped in a compact stump, of variable color (white, red, green, purple).
In the kitchen
The very crunchy leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.
What accompanies
The white cabbage is cooked and fermented to obtain sauerkraut.
Savoy cabbage
Identity card
It has green, wrinkled leaves that form a compact but less dense head than cabbage. Contains a rare active ingredient that protects the stomach walls from injury.
In the kitchen
It can be eaten raw, however, in most recipes, it is cooked.
What they accompany
It is used to prepare soups, soups and braised meat (see the Lombard caseeula)
Chinese cabbage
Identity card
It has an elongated stump and curly leaves of white or pale green color. , is used raw or cooked, sautéed together with other vegetables. We often find it inside the spring rolls served in Chinese restaurants.
In the kitchen
It is used raw or cooked, often stir-fried along with other vegetables.
What accompanies
We often find it inside spring rolls.
