Food Alphabet
White cabbage (fresh)
The homeland of the leafy cabbage (Latin brassica), which is not without reason called the ancestor of the white cabbage, is considered to be the islands of the Mediterranean Sea and the European coast of the Atlantic Ocean. (There is also a version that cabbage was born in the Colchian lowland of Georgia, because it is here that a variety of very similar to cabbage plants "kezhera"is found.)
Archaeological excavations indicate that people began to grow cabbage at the end of the Stone Age. It was introduced into the culture more than 5 thousand years ago. Even before the new era, it began to be grown in Ancient Iberia, where it was called "aschi". From there, it spread to Egypt, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Transcaucasia, and Asia Minor.
Cabbage was introduced to Western Europe during the Crusades, and then Russian merchants brought it to Kievan Rus. This is evidenced by some documentary sources, take, for example, the "Izbornik" of Svyatoslav (1073) and the Charter of the Smolensk Prince Rostislav Mstislavovich (1150). These documents not only tell about cabbage, but also provide recommendations for its use. However, it was only under Peter the Great that cabbage became a constant food item and a subject of wide trade in Russia. After the harvest of cabbage, when the cutting of the heads began, the people arranged a kind of performances, with round dances, comic songs, dances and treats with cabbage pies, which later became known as"kapustniki". Therefore, on May 18 (according to the new style), the day of the cabbage patch was celebrated and at the same time the day of Arina-the seedling.
Since time immemorial, people have known that, in addition to the excellent taste, cabbage also has many healing properties. So, the Egyptian priests recommended to include cabbage in the diet of the children of the Pharaoh, so as to protect the young body from various poisoning. And the ancient Roman writer and statesman Cato noted that wild cabbage "combines all the healing properties in a proportion that promotes health", and believed that thanks to these properties, the Romans went without medicines for centuries. (At that time, 6 forms of leafy cabbage were known in Rome.)
To date, in the countries of Eastern and Western Europe, white cabbage It is actively used for preparing salads, side dishes, first and second courses, as well as pies. Everyone knows Russian cabbage soup, Czech sour (pickled) cabbage, Ukrainian borscht or solyanka.
Cabbage can act as an independent dish, or in a mixture with other vegetables or even fruits. It can be boiled, stewed, fried, consumed fresh, fermented and marinated. It all depends on individual preferences and culinary traditions!
