category: food/groceries: vegetables: cabbage

Red Cabbage, Red Kraut, Blau Kraut, bot.: Brassica oleracea convar. capitata var. capitata f. rubra, de.: Rotkohl, Rotkraut, Blaukraut, Roter Kabis, Roter Kappes, fr.: chou rouge, it.: cavolo cappuccio, es.: repolla morado

Red cabbage is a vegetable of the botanical family of cabbage plants (bot.: Cruciferae or Brassicaceae). Except its dark red to purple colour it is almost identical to white cabbage. The leafs form an even closer head than white cabbage leafs do. Its colour is due to a water soluble pigment called anthocyanin. Anthocyanins are metabolism products of the red cabbage plant.

Growing areas and distinguishing features of red cabbage

The main growing areas of red cabbage are in Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, France, Poland and Denmark. Red cabbage has the same distinguishing features as white cabbage. Different varieties differ in the form of their heads and growing times. The nutrient contents of red and white cabbage are very similar. Red cabbage has a higher content of selenium and vitamin C than white cabbage and a slightly lower content of carotene.

Usage and preparation of red cabbage

The feature that differs most besides the colour is the slightly sweet taste of red cabbage. The following ingredients go well with it: mixed spices (containing juniper, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaf), goose lard, sugar and vinegar, as well as apples, apple puree, pears and onions. Sometimes a red wine low in acidity is added. Chestnuts and oranges or grated orange peel are also well suited to cook red cabbage. Especially around Christmas, when red cabbage is served with roasted goose or duck, its taste is completed by these ingredients. For thickening a grated potato can be added 10 to 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time.