Cabbage may be better at fighting some cancers, heart disease, and ulcers than its close cousins collard greens, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and broccoli, or its sibling kale - that according to a book out this month, The 10 Things You Need to Eat by Dave Lieberman and Anahad O'Connor (William Morrow).
A single serving of coleslaw meets the USDA recommended daily allowance of Vitamin K. And cabbage is rich in Vitamins A and C, calcium, fiber, folate, even omega 3.
Still, not everyone's a fan.
"Cabbage has a negative reputation," says cookbook author Aliza Green, a James Beard award winner, "especially among people old enough to recall the smell of overcooked cabbage wafting through the hallways of boardinghouses and tenement apartments."
As a dish of basic sustenance for poor families for decades, cabbage has yet to turn the corner to foodie treat as did its peasant equal, polenta.
The most familiar variety of cabbage comes in tightly packed green heads and plays a starring role in most stuffed cabbage and sauerkraut recipes.
Shredded red cabbage adds color to salads. Savoy is a more mellow variety, with more loosely packed, crinkled leaves that work well with stuffed cabbage recipes too.
Napa, often referred to as Chinese cabbage, is another species altogether. It can be filled with a vegetable mixture, wrapped and steamed, Green says, but it doesn't work as well for traditional stuffed cabbage dishes that are cooked a long time.
In our environs, stuffed cabbage is on the menu almost year-round at Effie's Greek restaurant at 11th and Pine; Famous Fourth Street Deli at Fourth and Bainbridge; Syrenka in Port Richmond; and Balkan Express at 22d Street and Grays Ferry Avenue.
