Vegetable
Brassica oleracea
S tier
Brassica oleracea capitata rubra is red (purple) cabbage—dense heads with anthocyanin-rich leaves that shift pink to blue with acid or alkali. Flavour is slightly pepperier and more robust than many green cabbages. Excellent raw, braised with apple, or pickled. Shred for slaws, braise long and sweet-sour, or ferment. Species links to all cabbages. Colour makes it a plating favourite.
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Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
FermentPickleRaw SlawSteakhouse SideSweet Sour Braise
Traits
Acid Colour ShiftAnthocyanin HeadDenseDense PurplePeppery SweetPurpleSpecies Primary RubraSpecies Umbrella
History
DE
Northern European gardens selected red-purple heading cabbages.
NL
Dutch and German cuisines developed sweet-sour red cabbage braises.
Red cabbage became a global coleslaw and side-dish staple.
Raw red cabbage slaws boomed with health and colour trends.