Chinese cabbage
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Chinese cabbage | |
---|---|
Species | Brassica rapa |
Cultivar group | Chinensis Group, Pekinensis Group |
Origin | China, before the 15th century |
Cultivar group members | Many; see text |
Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa, subspecies pekinensis and chinensis) is either of two cultivar groups of leaf vegetables often used in Chinese cuisine: the Pekinensis Group (napa cabbage) and the Chinensis Group (bok choy).
These vegetables are both variant
History
The Chinese cabbage was principally grown in the
Napa cabbage became a staple in
In 2017, aboard the International Space Station, a crop of Chinese cabbage from a plant growth device included an allotment for crew consumption, while the rest was saved for scientific study.[1]
Cultivar groups
There are two distinct groups of Brassica rapa used as leaf vegetables in China, and a wide range of cultivars within these two groups. The binomial name B. campestris is also used.
Pekinensis Group
This group is the more common of the two, especially outside Asia; names such as napa cabbage, dà báicài (Chinese: 大白菜, "large white vegetable"); Baguio petsay or petsay wombok (Tagalog); Chinese white cabbage; "wong a pak" (Hokkien, Fujianese); baechu (Korean: 배추), wongbok; hakusai (Japanese: 白菜 or ハクサイ) and "suann-tang-pe̍h-á" (Taiwanese)[2] usually refer to members of this group. Pekinensis Group cabbages have broad green leaves with white petioles, tightly wrapped in a cylindrical formation and usually forming a compact head. As the group name indicates, this is particularly popular in northern China around Beijing (Peking).
Chinensis Group
Chinensis Group cultivars do not form heads; instead, they have smooth, dark green leaf blades forming a cluster reminiscent of mustard or celery. These cultivars are popular in southern China and Southeast Asia. Being winter-hardy, they are increasingly grown in Northern Europe. This group was originally classified as its own species under the name B. chinensis by Linnaeus.[citation needed]
See also
- Cabbage, the related European vegetable B. oleracea Capitata Group
- Gai lan (芥兰, p jièlán), the Chinese vegetable B. oleracea Alboglabra Group
- Rapeseed (油菜, p yóucài), the related B. napus consumed in China as a vegetable ("yu choy")
- Turnip, the same species B. rapa cultivated in Europe for its roots
- Food portal
References
- ^ Heiney, Anna (2017-02-17). "Cabbage Patch: Fifth Crop Harvested Aboard Space Station". NASA. Archived from the original on 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ "山東白仔-詞目-教育部臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典". sutian.moe.edu.tw. Retrieved 2023-09-04.