Cabbage Family

Two weedy Mediterranean and Central Asian natives (Brassica oleracea and B. rapa) have been bred into a dozen or more major crops: leaves (cabbage, kale, collards), flowers (broccoli, cauliflower), stems (kohlrabi), roots (turnip, rutabaga), and seeds (mustard). All share a formidable sulfur-and-nitrogen defense system — glucosinolates — that determines their flavor, their cooking behavior, and their health effects. Understanding glucosinolates is the key to cooking every brassica well.