Author Topic: What's the difference between cabbage and kale?  (Read 1285 times)

Annemieke

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What's the difference between cabbage and kale?
« on: November 14, 2018, 21:16:45 »
I eat and like a lot of kale - nearly every other day. But when I cook cabbage, I dislike the smell when it’s cooking and the taste when I eat it - very much. I expect that is the sulfur. But kale has sulfur too, but does not smell like that and has a nice taste.
I can’t find anywhere how much sulfur they have - can anyone else? Or is there another reason for my dislike of cabbage but not kale?
Thanks! Annemieke.
Grow no evil, cook no evil, eat no evil.

Annemieke Wigmore, Somerset UK: http://thoughtforfood-aw.blogspot.com.

ACE

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Re: What's the difference between cabbage and kale?
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2018, 21:32:26 »
I bet it was cabbage with everything  when you was a child, certainly was our house, I still like it though, as for kale we believe we are eating a super food and it is good for us, both tasty as far as I am concerned without the hype. I am not keen on the boiled texture, but steamed it is crisper and seems to taste better. I good tip I picked on this forum, put a bay leaf in the water to stop the pong.

Obelixx

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Re: What's the difference between cabbage and kale?
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2018, 07:40:13 »
Love cabbage in several forms - Savoy, pointy, curly kale, cavolo nero, Chinese, white, red - but it has to be very lightly cooked in the minimum of water, a thingy of butter and some sage or rosemary or black pepper.  Red and white cabbage are best in salads.   Chinese cabbage is good as quick kimchi (BBC Good Food).

No sulphuric smells if cooked lightly and Brussels sprouts only darken my kitchen on Xmas Day when OH prepares his own.  Might happen a bit more this year as he's got me growing 6 plants...........
Obxx - Vendée France

Beersmith

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Re: What's the difference between cabbage and kale?
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2018, 14:08:21 »
A very interesting question.

Kale, cabbage and indeed loads of other things like cauliflower, Brussels, swede, kohl rabi etc are all cultivars of the Brassica oleracea plant species. A remarkable plant, it has the interesting property that it can, with no great difficulty, be adapted to store up energy and food reserves in many different parts of the plant. Depending on where the food reserves are stored - leaves, roots, base of stem, terminal bud, lateral bud, and inflorescence results in very different crops.

Getting back to your question, I suspect one key issue is cooking method.  Also some sorts of cabbage may stand for a long time during which the flavour can get a bit coarse. If boiling cabbage, we usually chop a small amount of onion into the water. That seems to sweeten the aroma. Variety could be an issue too. Some modern  ones have also been selected to have a less intense and sweeter flavour.

I wonder if other members would suggest varieties that they consider best for flavour. I like kale but a few seasons ago grew a variety that tasted dreadful.
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Annemieke

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Re: What's the difference between cabbage and kale?
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2018, 09:34:09 »
Thanks all for the tips. I will pay more attention when I next cook on of them, but I do hate undercooked veg! Which easily happens with steaming, I find. And as I said, I have not trouble whatsoever with kale, and hubbie grows lots of that, lucky for me. Several varieties - I like some more than others but they are all fine.
Grow no evil, cook no evil, eat no evil.

Annemieke Wigmore, Somerset UK: http://thoughtforfood-aw.blogspot.com.

 

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