PORTRAITSTEPHANIE NORMAN“Why has it
taken some
of us so long
to embrace
that funny
ball of leaves- frumpiness and all?”
J
ust saying the word “cabbage” can
make a person’s spine tingle. Dismal
associations come flooding in. That
dreaded cabbage soup diet of the 80s,
the pungent smell of a boarding school
dining hall, even the whiff of a really bad...
No, cabbage isn’t altogether sexy, but
it’s about to be, trust me!
It’s no real surprise that food trends
(or movements) are often driven by what’s
happening in the greater zeitgeist. Think of
issues surrounding climate change, food
insecurity, social constructs and new
methods of agriculture. Not to mention the
massive shift toward plant-based eating.
In a nutshell, what are we all after? Food
that’s affordable but also nutritious.
Cabbage is both of these things, as wellas being one of the few
vegetables that are salt tolerant.
I discovered this at the S/Zout
experiential waterless dinner
presented by Studio. H in Cape
Town last year – an event that
showcased the future of food
if sea water were to be used
for agriculture. So while you
might normally give cabbage
a wide berth in the shops,
you really need to embrace
it because it’s about to be
something we’re going
to be cooking with – a lot.
Many of the world’s cultures
already cook extensively with
this cruciferous veggie and
have for centuries – think
of Polish golumpki (boiled
cabbage leaves wrapped
around a meat filling with
onions and rice) or Korean
kimchi, which has had a lot
of time in the spotlight lately
thanks to the fermented
food trend. And we can’t
talk about cabbage without
including that British classic,
bubble and squeak.
So why has it taken some
of us so long to embrace that funny ball
of leaves – frumpiness and all? Could it be
that home cooks just don’t know what to
do with it? Much like kale before it became
Insta-famous. And although cabbage hasn’t
gone mainstream (yet) as cauliflower has,
there are countless South Africans who’ve
been making magic with it in the kitchen
for years, as Hope Malau points out in his
cookbook, Johanne 14. “A head of cabbage
can be cooked in so many different ways;
it is inexpensive and goes with anything
or nothing at all. You can eat it raw, boil
it or fry it, combine it with any other
vegetable and it will give you a wholesome
meal every time.”
René Redzepi of Noma fame told the
Bon Appetit team in a podcast interviewlast year that he believes cabbage is the
most underrated vegetable, and when the
celebrated chef of a former world number
one restaurant gives it that much credit –
it’s time to sit up and listen.
Much like the move towards using
cheaper cuts of meat, local chefs
are now giving humble, everyday
vegetables pride of place on their menus.
They’re showcasing their versatility
and deliciousness with sophisticated
presentations and punchy flavours, or
treating them to techniques including
braising, charring, pickling and fermenting.
“Kimchi makes the world a better place,”
says Glen Williams, head chef at Foxcroft
restaurant in Cape Town, while Ivor Jones
of Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia says
he likes to make sauerkraut and fry it
with chilli, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
“It’s super spicy and sour and so good,”
he emphasises.
One of my favourite quick and fuss-free
ways to eat cabbage in summer is to finely
slice a Woolies baby cabbage, dress it with
a zingy tahini vinaigrette, then sprinkle
over some crispy bacon bits. That’s it!
Simple, but so satisfying.
Most supermarkets stock standard
white and red cabbage. But take a walk
through your local fresh produce market
on a Saturday and you’ll find more of
the exotic varieties. The colours are a
beautiful burst of bright greens and
purples that allow your imagination to run
wild with edible possibilities. Watch out
world, cabbage is the new it-girl among
veggies and she’s gaining appeal. WTessa Purdon is the editor of Food24; @tessapurdon54 TASTE JAN/FEB 2019 PHOTOGRAPH TOBY MURPHY TEXT TESSA PURDONMove over, kale! Cabbage is poised to claim its rightful space on your plate, says Tessa
Purdon. It’s versatile, affordable, delicious – so many reasons to rise to Insta fame in 2019The new king in town
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