Kale () or leaf cabbage is one of certain cultivars of cabbage ( Brassica oleracea) grown for their edible leaves, although some are used as ornamentals. Kale plants have green or purple leaves, and the central leaves do not form a head (as with headed cabbage ). Kales are considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most of the many domesticated forms of Brassica oleracea.
Etymology
Kale originates from Northern Middle English cale (compare Scots kail) for various cabbages. The ultimate origin is Latin caulis ' cabbage '.
History
Kale originated in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor, where it was cultivated for food beginning by 2000 BC at the latest. Curly-leaved varieties of cabbage already existed along with flat-leaved varieties in Greece in the 4th century BC. These forms, which were referred to by the Romans as Sabellian kale, are considered to be the ancestors of modern kales.
The earliest record of cabbages in western Europe is of hard -heading cabbage in the 13th century. Records in 14th-century England distinguish between hard -heading cabbage and loose- leaf kale.Russian kale was introduced into Canada, and then into the United States, by Russian traders in the 19th century. USDA botanist David Fairchild is credited with introducing kale (and many other crops) to Americans, having brought it back from Croatia, although Fairchild himself disliked cabbages, including kale.
Copyright 2024 puzzlefactory.com All rights reserved.
