We were surprised to get so many inquiries about how to use the Kohlrabi this week! This versatile vegetable is used in many food cultures and is as delicious as it is nutritious. We’ll have Kohlrabi available for Custom Orders this week.
Kohlrabi History
“Kohlrabi (and brussels sprouts) are relatively new additions to the cabbage group and probably are the only common vegetables of northern European origin. Kohlrabi apparently developed not long before the 16th century. It’s ‘parent’ was most likely the marrow cabbage or the wild cabbage, which grows commonly on the English channel coast, in European coastal regions and on the Spanish peninsula.
The first record of kohlrabi was in 1554 by Matthiolus, a European botanist, who write that it had just come into Italy. In 1573 and 1575, kohlrabi was recorded as being grown in gardens in Tripoli and Aleppo. By the end of the 16th century, it had been described as being cultivated and was drawn by numerous other European writers. It was known in Germany, England, Italy, Spain, Tripoli and the eastern Mediterranean. It is said to have first been grown on a field scale in ireland iin 1734, Scotland in 1805, and England in 1837. In the U.S., it was first recorded by McMahon in 1806.”
– Excerpted from Fruit & Vegetable Facts & Pointers: Kohlrabi. United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association
Nutrition Info
Kohlrabi is a good source of Thiamin, Folate, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. For a complete Nutrition picture see www.nutritiondata.com.
Both types – Purple and White – are easy to use. No need to peel, if you want to trim the leaf stems off you can but they are perfectly edible.
Slice Kohlrabi into rounds or chop into sticks for a tasty raw vegetable. Serve with a dip or alone, they way you would carrots or celery. Grate or matchstick for salads.
Kohlrabi is wonderful cooked, I like to cut it into 1/2″ dice, sauté with butter or olive oil, salt and pepper just like almost any vegetable.
I first met Kohlrabi when I was in college in Detroit. I had a roommate who grew up with it in her Polish family home, they sliced it into 1/2″ rounds, breaded with bread crumbs and fried like schnitzel, served with noodles or mashed potatoes.
Delicious!