The red cabbage (purple-leaved varieties of ''

Brassica oleracea ''Brassica oleracea'', also known as wild cabbage in its uncultivated form, is a plant of the family Brassicaceae. The species originated from feral populations of related plants in the Eastern Mediterranean, where it was most likely first cultiv ...

'' Capitata

Group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

) is a kind of

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...

, also known as Blaukraut after preparation. Its leaves are coloured dark red/purple. However, the plant changes its colour according to the pH value of the soil due to a

pigment A pigment is a powder used to add or alter color or change visual appearance. Pigments are completely or nearly solubility, insoluble and reactivity (chemistry), chemically unreactive in water or another medium; in contrast, dyes are colored sub ...

belonging to

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are solubility, water-soluble vacuole, vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart named a chemical compou ...

s. In acidic soils, the leaves grow more reddish; in neutral soils, they will grow more purple, while an alkaline soil will produce rather greenish-yellow coloured cabbages. This explains the fact that the same plant is known by different colours in various regions. It can be found in all of Europe, throughout the Americas, in China, and especially in Africa. The juice of red cabbage can be used as a homemade

pH indicator A pH indicator is a halochromism, halochromic chemical compound added in small amounts to a Solution (chemistry), solution so the pH (acidity or Base (chemistry), basicity) of the solution can be determined visually or spectroscopically by chang ...

, turning red in acid and green/yellow in basic solutions. When cooking, red cabbage will normally turn blue; adding vinegar or acidic fruit to the pot is necessary to retain the cabbage's red colour. Red cabbage needs well-fertilized soil and sufficient humidity to grow. It is a seasonal plant that is seeded in spring and harvested in late autumn. Red cabbage is a better keeper than its "white" relatives and does not need to be converted to

sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , ) is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferment the sugar ...

to last the winter.

Composition

Nutrition

Cooked red cabbage is 91% water, 7%

carbohydrate A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ...

s, 1%

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

, and contains negligible

fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specif ...

(table). It has a high content of

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits, berries and vegetables. It is also a generic prescription medication and in some countries is sold as a non-prescription di ...

and

vitamin K Vitamin K is a family of structurally similar, fat-soluble vitamers found in foods and marketed as dietary supplements. The human body requires vitamin K for post-translational modification, post-synthesis modification of certain proteins ...

, containing 44% and 72%, respectively, of the

Daily Value In the U.S. and Canada, the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products to indicate the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97� ...

(DV) per 100-gram amount, and is a moderate source of

vitamin B6 Vitamin B6 is one of the B vitamins, and is an essential nutrient for humans. The term essential nutrient refers to a group of six chemically similar compounds, i.e., "vitamers", which can be interconverted in biological systems. Its active f ...

(17% DV) (table).

Phytochemicals

Red cabbage

phytochemical Phytochemicals are naturally-occurring chemicals present in or extracted from plants. Some phytochemicals are nutrients for the plant, while others are metabolites produced to enhance plant survivability and reproduction. The fields of ext ...

s include

sulforaphane Sulforaphane (sometimes sulphoraphane in British English) is a phytochemical within the isothiocyanate group of organosulfur compounds. It is produced when the enzyme myrosinase transforms glucoraphanin, a glucosinolate, into sulforaphane up ...

and other

glucosinolate Glucosinolates are natural components of many pungent plants such as mustard, cabbage, and horseradish. The pungency of those plants is due to mustard oils produced from glucosinolates when the plant material is chewed, cut, or otherwise damaged. ...

Uses

Culinary

Red cabbage is often used raw for salads and

coleslaw Coleslaw or cole slaw (from the Dutch term , meaning 'cabbage salad'), also widely known within North America simply as slaw, is a side dish consisting primarily of finely shredded raw cabbage with a salad dressing or condiment, commonly eithe ...

. This vegetable can be eaten cooked. It is the traditional accompanying side dish paired with many German meals, notably meat dishes like

Sauerbraten Sauerbraten () is a traditional German roast of heavily marinated meat. It is regarded as a national dish of Cuisine of Germany, Germany, and is frequently served in German-style restaurants internationally. It can be cooked from a variety of me ...

or Döner. At Christmas, it can be spiced, braised, and served as an accompaniment to seasonal roast goose or turkey. Apples and a little vinegar are often added to give it a sweet and sour taste.

pH indicator

Red cabbage contains an

-based dye that can be used as a

. It is red, pink, or magenta in acids ( pH < 7), purple in neutral solutions (pH ≈7), and ranges from blue to green to yellow in alkaline solutions (pH > 7).

Cultivation

It is recommended to start red cabbage seeds indoors four weeks before the last frost. Sow in containers that allow for the movement of water through the bottom of a cell. Popular seedling starting containers are peat pots, egg cartons, plug trays, or milk cartons. Once the seedlings grow to about tall and have developed their first leaves, they can be hardened off and moved outside for transplanting. Red cabbage prefers climates that remain moist and cool for most of its vegetative growth stage, so it can be placed in the ground shortly after the last frost while the spring is still cool. The cabbage plants can be spaced about from one another. They will need watering often but are otherwise low-maintenance plants.

References

External links

How to Make Red Cabbage pH Indicator

{{Authority control Cabbage Leaf vegetables