— Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time,
1913The Cabbage Family:
Kohlrabi and Rutabaga
Kohlrabi Kohlrabi is a version of the basic
cabbage plant (Brassica oleracea var.
gongylodes) in which the main stem swells to
several inches in diameter. It has the moist
texture and mild flavor of broccoli stalk. The
name comes from the German for “cabbage
turnip,” and indeed kohlrabi resembles a
turnip in its rounded appearance. Young
kohlrabi are tender enough to eat raw for their
crisp moistness or cook briefly; overmature
stems are woody.
Rutabaga The rutabaga, or swede, is the
result of a cross between the turnip and
cabbage species, and is thought to have been
born sometime before 1600 in Eastern Europe,