The name of cabbage of a kohlrabi comes from the German name of this vegetable culture — Kohlrabi that can be translated as cabbage turnip. At this unusual kind of garden cabbage use not leaves, but a stalk, reinforced, similar to turnip, in food. Now the kohlrabi is actively grown up in camps of Western Europe and North America. The unpretentiousness, cold constancy and relative speed of fructification (about 60-75 days since landing) this plant allows to grow up it even in the conditions of Far North. But in our country it is not especially estimated and is grown up generally by fans.
Caloric content and chemical composition
Cabbage of a kohlrabi is appreciated as a low-calorie product — 44 Kcal on 100 g of crude vegetable. It is necessary to consider that it is the caloric content of that part of a stalk which is used in food. Caloric content of all plant is even lower — 27 Kcal on 100 g.
Study the list of products with low caloric content.
So are a part of 100 g of the eaten crude part of a kohlrabi:
- water — 86.2 g;
- carbohydrates — 7.9 g;
- sugar — 7.4 g;
- proteins — 2.8 g;
- ashes — 1.2 g;
- starch and dextrins — 0.5 g;
- organic acids — 0.1 g;
- fats — 0.1 g;
- food fibers — 0.1 g.
Content of vitamins on 100 g:
- C (ascorbic acid) — 50 mg;
- B4 (is well-cared) — 12.3 mg;
- RR (nicotinic acid) — 1.2 mg;
- niatsin — 0.9 mg;
- E (alpha tocopherol) — 0.2 mg;
- B6 (pyridoxine) — 0.17 mg;
- beta carotene — 0.1 mg;
- B5 (pantothenic acid) — 0.1 mg;
- B1 (thiamine) — 0.06 mg;
- B2 (Riboflavinum) — 0.05 mg;
- B9 (folic acid) — 18 mkg;
- And (Retinolum) — 17 mkg;
- To (fillokhinon) — 0.1 mkg.
Mineral substances which are contained in 100 g:
- potassium — 370 mg;
- phosphorus — 50 mg;
- calcium — 46 mg;
- magnesium — 30 mg;
- sodium — 10 mg;
- aluminum — 0.8 mkg;
- selenium — 0.7 mkg;
- iron — 0.6 mg.
Whether you know? The place of origin it is considered to be the area of the Mediterranean. It was eaten still by residents of Ancient Rome, they called its kaulorap that is translated as stem turnip. The kohlrabi became widely known only in the XVII century when this plant peasants from Germany began to grow up and trade in it.
Amino acids, important for the person, generally irreplaceable arginines, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, valine, threonine, histidine, methionine, tryptophane also are its part.
Advantage of a kohlrabi for an organism
Thanks to very small calorie content, lack of fats and cholesterol this vegetable is used at various diets, including for weight loss. Rather high content of vitamins and mineral elements does it valuable and for baby food, especially this kind of cabbage is not gas-forming. The kohlrabi has the high content of ascorbic acid it is, more, than in citruses.
In 100 grams of a crude product there is about a half of a day dose of vitamin C that does it by the product increasing immunity and provides its antioxidant properties (along with other vitamins and elements). Chewing of a crude kohlrabi is useful for teeth as strengthens gums and oppresses inflammations in a mouth.
Whether you know? Juice of a kohlrabi is used by traditional medicine not only for treatment of gums, but also at cough, diseases of digestive tract, liver and gall bladder, spleen, kidneys at anemia, hepatitis.
High content of potassium does it capable to bring excess water out of a human body, removing puffiness and reducing high pressure, contributing to normalization of a metabolism. Consumption of a kohlrabi, as well as other types of garden cabbage, is considered prevention of cancer.
What can be prepared and what it is combined with
The taste of cabbage of a kohlrabi is most similar to taste of cabbage cabbage stump, only more gentle and sweet. It is the best of all to supplement it with other vegetables, but in some dishes it is possible to use and as the main product.
There are vegetables which are more useful in a boiled look, than in crude. For example, sauerkraut contains more vitamin C, than fresh.
Of course, the most useful the use of crude cabbage in salads is considered. For this purpose it is the best of all to grate and add it with such vegetables as carrots, a cucumber, a garden radish, salad, greens, green peas, boiled corn, avocado and also apples of sweet-sour grades. It is possible to fill them with vegetable oils with juice of a lemon or vinegar (it is better apple), sour cream and mayonnaise, to add soy sauce, honey, a coriander, garlic or grated ginger, sesame, nuts and sunflower seeds, chili pepper. There are salads with addition of meat, sausage or boiled eggs. It is possible to prepare a kohlrabi in Korean or to add to it the Korean carrot.
Important! Before preparation the cabbage of a kohlrabi should be soaked in the added some salt water of 15 minutes to remove the earth, excessive fertilizers. Before it it is necessary to peel vegetable from stalks and to cut off the ends. For reduction of concentration of nitrates in vegetable it is the best of all to kill him in water for half an hour or (when cooking) to merge the first water after boiling.
As well as the majority of vegetables, this kind of cabbage can also be baked, fried, extinguished and cooked. It is used and for pickling and preservation. It is taken for preparation of soups including for cream soups. These soups can be cooked with meat, but most often do vegetable soups.
The kohlrabi is extinguished, usually with addition of other vegetables, in sour cream or cream. Stuff with mincemeat and extinguish in sour cream or use tomato paste, can bake also stuffed vegetable in an oven. Add to ragout, both in purely vegetable, and with meat.
With a kohlrabi do fritters (by the principle of fritters from a vegetable marrow), pieces of cabbage fry in batter. More small cut just fry on vegetable oil, at the same time most often add other vegetables (onions, pepper, carrots) and also mushrooms. Addition of tomato paste, soy sauce is possible.
For a garnish for fish or a bird quite often use the boiled, baked or steamed kohlrabi cabbage, saucing it.
Most often with this species of cabbage use other vegetables — potatoes, carrots, onions, a vegetable marrow, paprika and other. And also greens, eggs, mushrooms, chicken. For a farshirovka any kind of mincemeat, cheese, champignons can be used.
How to choose upon purchase
The old kohlrabi has many rough fibers therefore young cabbage — 6–12 centimeters will be more tasty. Thicker fruits at the outgrown kohlrabi which will not be tasty any more. Color depends on a grade and is even violet, and here the taste will be approximately identical. Leaves have to be not sluggish, the body of vegetable should not have cuts or doubtful spots. Vegetable which was long stored stiffens therefore the is fresher this cabbage, the better.
Important! Nitrates and pesticides vegetables deliver the most saturated to us from Turkey, Egypt, Israel, the Netherlands — these countries reap rich crops due to entering into the soil of a large amount of fertilizers. It is the best of all to buy domestic vegetables or from the countries of the former USSR, Bulgaria.
How to store in house conditions
Of course, it is the most reliable to grow up the product, and then it is necessary to keep the grown-up vegetable in house conditions.
It is possible to store this vegetable about three weeks in the fridge, having cleaned from leaves which can select moisture, not wash. At the same time it is the best of all to wrap up it in wet towel wipes or just paper and to put in a package, and the package is recommended be not to tied, held open. It is also possible to use for storage a cellar (if you have it). Having laid in special boxes a rhizome down at a temperature not over 10 ºС, and about 95% are better closer to 0 ºС, and humidity, the kohlrabi can store about three months.
Learn, than the sea cabbage and what dishes is useful it is possible to prepare from it.
This cabbage can be dried in the special dryer or on a baking sheet, previously having cleaned and having cut on plates. Then to spread out in clean (it is desirable sterile) glass jars and to put for storage to the dark dry place.
Important! Late grades of a kohlrabi (usually have violet color) almost twice grow longer, but can be stored up to five months and not so quickly stiffen as early. But long stored kohlrabi all the same will have rigid fibers therefore a part of vegetable should be cut off not to spoil taste of a dish.
The kohlrabi can be frozen. For this purpose it is necessary to blanch pieces of the washed, cleaned stem cabbage three minutes in boiled water, then to place in very cold water before full cooling. Then to package in portion bags or plastic containers and to put in the freezer.
Cabbage of a kohlrabi can also be salted, pickled or preserved.
Contraindications and harm
In spite of the fact that the kohlrabi rather useful vegetable, exists the following list of contraindications:
- individual sensitivity to a product;
- pancreatitis at an aggravation stage;
- the increased acidity at gastritis;
- stomach ulcer and also duodenum;
- brightly shown low pressure.
The individual intolerance to a kohlrabi meets seldom, but if after the use of this cabbage for the first time there were skin rashes, an itch, reddening and also negative intestinal reactions (diarrhea, a meteorizm), then it is necessary to see a doctor at once and to exclude this product from a diet.
The negative quality is inherent in a kohlrabi — this cabbage accumulates nitrates which can provoke poisoning and have negative effect on all organism.
Learn how to reduce amount of nitrates in vegetables and fruit.
Therefore it is the best of all to get the kohlrabi which is grown up in the open ground without use of the pesticides and fertilizers containing nitrates. Buy this product not in the spontaneous markets, and from well proved sellers.
Important! At chronic consumption of nitrates and poisoning of an organism by them the working capacity decreases, avitaminosis is shown, the metabolism and also normal functioning of internals is broken. At the same time there is a dejectedness, a depression.
Cabbage of a kohlrabi will be very appropriate in the kids menu and also in a diet of cores, corpulent or edematous people. But even if you are completely healthy, it is not necessary to neglect this product. If you are not sure that nitrates are in the bought vegetable normal, then before preparation it is better to soak it in water. The vegetables which are grown up by the hands, of course, inspire more trust, and they can be prepared and to store long enough.