The curly cabbage The distinctive curly leaves make kale an especially beautiful member of the brassica family. Appreciated for its unusually high protein content, kale has been an important part of the Northern European diet for a long time. The winter vegetable is popular in warming stews and can even be used to make wraps. … Continue reading Kale – Grünkohl
Vegetable
Corn – Mais
Aztec gold Ancient Mesoamerican peoples worshipped maize deities for good reason; to this day corn is one of the most important cereals in the world and feeds billions of people. It stills plays a vital role in its birth place Central America and because it’s an adaptive crop it is now grown in over 160 … Continue reading Corn – Mais
Pak Choi
The gentle cabbage Even though pak choi is a member of the brassica family it is way less cabbagy-tasting than most of its relatives. The vegetable, also known as bok choy, hails from China where its name literally means white vegetable in Cantonese. Pak choi has white or light green stems with juicy green leafs … Continue reading Pak Choi
Patisson squash – Patisson-Kürbis
The crown jewel Patisson is definitely the most eye-catching of all squashes. With its disc shape and scalloped edges it almost looks like a crown. It’s one of the oldest squash varieties around and is rumored to have already been cultivated by the Incas. Patisson squash is a summer variety and resembles courgette in terms … Continue reading Patisson squash – Patisson-Kürbis
Garlic – Knoblauch
Small but mighty The most pungent of the allium family, garlic originated in Central Asia and was already appreciated for its health benefits by Ancient Egyptians & Romans. The upper class in Europe only used it for medical purposes for quite some time as the strong sulfurous smell & taste didn’t convince them until French … Continue reading Garlic – Knoblauch
Broccoli – Brokkoli
The little green tree The humble broccoli is part of the Brassica family which also includes cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts. Just like many of its relatives broccoli is also a winter vegetable that makes the colder months more enjoyable. While it is now enjoyed all across the world, broccoli has its roots in Italy … Continue reading Broccoli – Brokkoli
Asparagus – Spargel
The delicious spear The taste of asparagus is incomparable to any other vegetable. It is synonymous with the hight of spring, especially the white variety that starts a frenzy every May in Germany. While the green variety originally hails from Asia, the white variety was first developed in Germany. Across the world mostly the green … Continue reading Asparagus – Spargel
Rocket – Rucola
The peppery leaf Nowadays considered a quintessential Italian staple, rocket was already cultivated by Ancient Egyptians and Romans. The latter believed it to be an aphrodisiac. With its peppery taste it’s instantly recognizable and it's not surprising that it belongs to the large family of brassica, just like cabbage and broccoli. Rocket is surprisingly easy … Continue reading Rocket – Rucola
Radicchio
The Italian Chicory Radicchio is a form of chicory and because it originated and is frequently used in this country's cuisine, it is also named Italian chicory. Even though the round varieties resemble red cabbage the flavours are completely different, with radicchio being bitter, crisp and very fresh and red cabbage having a distinct cabbage … Continue reading Radicchio
Jerusalem Artichoke – Topinambur
Sunflowers little sibling Despite their Middle Eastern name, Jerusalem artichokes are neither from Israel nor are they closely related to artichokes. The name is most likely connected to a mistranslation of the Italian name for sunflower, as the tuber vegetable is actually a close relative to the commonly known flower. It also goes by the … Continue reading Jerusalem Artichoke – Topinambur
The Food Library 