Cabbage is so
common that many
people don’t
appreciate how
nutritious it is.
And they don’t
realize it’s a pretty
interesting vegetable, too.
Some facts:
The cabbage that ends up in your kitchen usually weighs between one and 10 pounds. But it can be grown to enormous proportions, especially in northern regions – way, way north -- with long sun-lit days during the summer. The Guinness Book of World Records says Scott Robb of Palmer, Alaska set the current record in 2012 with a cabbage that weighed 138.25 pounds.
Guinness says the longest distance a cabbage has ever been rolled is 50.4 feet.
In the U.S., California produces the most cabbage with 25 percent of the total. In 2021 New York came in second with 22 percent, Florida added 11.6, Texas 8.5 and four other states about 8 each: Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona.
Most cabbage is used for processing for coleslaw, at 45 percent, according to the USDA. Fresh head cabbage accounts for 35 percent, sauerkraut 12 percent and other fresh-cut products for 5 to 10 percent.
Americans eat a fair amount of cabbage – about 6 pounds per person per year. But that’s nothing compared to the Russians, who lead the world. They consume 44 pounds.
Cabbage can be considered a super food, given all its nutritional values. Just 1 cup (89 grams) of raw green cabbage contains 22 calories, 1 gram of protein, 2 grams of fiber.
In addition, it provides:
Vitamin K: 85% of the Recommended Dietary Intake.
Vitamin C: 54% of the RDI
Folate: 10% of the RDI
Manganese: 7% of the RDI
Vitamin B6: 6% of the RDI
Calcium: 4% of the RDI
Potassium: 4% of the RDI
Magnesium: 3% of the RDI
Cabbage also contains small amounts of other micronutrients, including vitamin A, iron and riboflavin.
Cabbage can be used both raw and cooked. Baby cabbage is unusually sweet and tender and makes an excellent salad or Cole slaw. Mature cabbage is often found in salad mixes and braising green mixes. It can be wilted, roasted, fried, dehydrated, grilled and juiced. It can be pickled, as well, or fermented into sauerkraut.
It has its drawbacks. Eat too much, and it causes flatulence. Cook it too long, and it develops a pungent odor.
Its name is an Anglicized version of the French word for head, “caboche”.
Cabbage is believed to have originated in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor at least 1000 B.C. Wandering Celts of central and western Europe brought it home and made it theirs. European explorers and colonists later distributed it around the world.
