KOHLRABI

There's the question of whether this is one word or two. Most writers show it as a single word, as we've done, but since its name derives from the German for 'cabbage turnip', it might perhaps be more comfortably rendered as 'kohl rabi'

If there is any vegetable that looks as if it escaped from a science fiction movie, it has to be the kohlrabi! This is a member of the brassicas and can be found in purple and green varieties. You may encounter it with the 'tentacles' stripped off, which is a pity because the green leaves are good to eat. It's popular in Germany, less so in the UK where it's in season from July to November. In the past, it was primarily grown as cattle food.

From the culinary point of view, the kohlrabi can be substituted pretty well anywhere that you would use a turnip: steam it, boil it, stir-fry or use in soups. That's mostly because this is one of those vegetables that, rather than bringing their own strong flavour to a dish, absorbs the flavour of whatever it's cooked alongside.

You can keep it, in a cool dark airy place, for a couple of weeks at home -- when it does go off, it's generally because it's gone mouldy, a process that's accelerated if you keep it in a fridge. Nutritionally, it's hardly a 'superfood' although it's a good source of vitamin C, phosphorous and magnesium. And (as a bit of relief from the claims made for other vegetables in this series) no claims at all are made for its effect on your love life!

 

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