BLACK CABBAGE

An upright plant that can reach one meter in height, without a "head", it is also used as an ornamental plant in public and private gardens. The leaves are lancinate, very robust, green in color with shades of blue and black, have a rather marked central vein and are up to 35-40 cm long.

Belonging to the cruciferae family, it is defined as acephalous, that is, without a head. It is a variety originating from southern Europe, most likely Italian, the Romans already cultivated a species of cabbage very similar to the Tuscan black one. In Tuscany, then, the spread of black cabbage was more successful, becoming a basic element of some traditional cuisine. In the last decade, thanks to its nutritional properties, it has also spread to other Italian regions and is cultivated almost everywhere with fairly limited surfaces.

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Black cabbage is useful for being a reserve of beneficial resources to be exploited especially in view of winter. It is a vegetable rich in antioxidant substances (which turn off inflammatory processes, improve digestive processes and have been shown to have important anti-tumor prevention properties), mineral salts and vitamins, in particular C, which is the best natural vaccine against viruses, pains and colds. It has always been used in traditional medicine to treat sprains, bruises, swelling and osteoarticular inflammation. Recent research confirms that black cabbage is useful in the prevention of numerous forms of cancer (colon, rectal, stomach, prostate and bladder cancer), and is effective in assisting the treatment of gastric ulcers, ulcerative colitis and also forms of influenza. For this purpose, the simplest solution is to add a couple of leaves of black cabbage to the soups: the ideal is to steam it for 10 minutes, then blend it and add it to the soup at the end of cooking, so as not to lose its healing virtues.