A taste of the orient: Geoff Dixon unravels some of the oriental mysteries of leafy brassicas

摘要

Brassicas are fine sources of fresh salads as well as cooked vegetables. Our European culinary brassicas came from the wild coastal cabbage, Brossica oleracea. Artificial modification in cultivation resulted in Brussels sprouts, cabbages, calabrese,cauliflowers and some kales. Oriental leafy salad brassicas developed in much the same way, mainly from the species Brassica rapa and man made selection led to an even larger range of leafy salad crops. Chinese cabbage and pak choi are now well known inEurope having been cropped for more than 20 years but there are some less common close relatives.