
Cabbage
A Global History
Meg Muckenhoupt(Author)
Reaktion Books (Publisher)
Published on 13. August 2018
Book
Hardback
144 pages
978-1-78023-981-1 (ISBN)
Description
How could a vegetable be so beloved, so universal, and at the same time so disdained? One of the oldest crops in the world, cabbage has provided European and Asian peoples with vitamins A and C, and even with babies - according to folk tales about infants found 'under a cabbage leaf', that is. It has appeared in senators' speeches in ancient Rome and the luggage of South Korean astronauts. Cabbage is both a badge of poverty and an emblem of national pride; a food derided as cheap, common and crass, and an essential ingredient in iconic dishes from sauerkraut to kimchi. Cabbage is easy to grow because it contains sulphurous compounds that repel insect pests in the wild - and human diners indoors who smell its distinctive aroma. We can't live without cabbage, but we don't want to stand downwind of it.
In this lively book, Meg Muckenhoupt traces cabbage's culinary paradox, exploring the cultural and chemical basis for its smelly reputation and enduring popularity. Filled with fascinating facts and recipes for everything from French cabbage soup to sauerkraut chocolate cake, Cabbage is essential reading for both food lovers and historians around the globe.
In this lively book, Meg Muckenhoupt traces cabbage's culinary paradox, exploring the cultural and chemical basis for its smelly reputation and enduring popularity. Filled with fascinating facts and recipes for everything from French cabbage soup to sauerkraut chocolate cake, Cabbage is essential reading for both food lovers and historians around the globe.
Reviews / Votes
This compact book explores the history of the cabbage and its place as an iconic ingredient on the world's culinary stage * Gardens Illustrated * Cabbage consumption is declining in many countries, but globalisation may help to keep cabbage on the menu, with dishes such as kimchi becoming popular in the west. Although the topic might not seem particularly exciting, unless you really like cabbage, this brief overview provides insight that might help improve the reputation of a much-maligned vegetable. * Oxveg News * Cabbage provides interested readers with a succinct history of the cultivation and culinary uses of cabbage from a global perspective. Myth and lore surrounding cabbage are featured heavily in this slim, stylish volume. Culinary techniques for preparing cabbage are presented in detail, along with scientific discussions of the vegetable's key nutritional properties . . . Cabbage features illustrations with images of cabbages ranging from historic artwork to 21st-century photography, enhancing the text . . . Cabbage represents another noteworthy work in a remarkable series. Recommended. * Choice * well researched, nicely illustrated . . . [cabbage] is a plant which deserves far more than a passing glance . . . Muckenhoupt's diligent research gives us, in this little book, an entertaining account of the past, present and future of the cabbage worldwide. * Petits Propos Culinaires *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
50 illustrations, 42 in colour
Dimensions
Height: 201 mm
Width: 122 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
299 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78023-981-1 (9781780239811)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
Meg Muckenhoupt writes about ecology, travel, history and food. She has appeared on NPR's Radio Boston and WCVB's Chronicle, and her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, the Boston Phoenix, Boston Magazine and the Time Out Boston guide. She is author of Boston Gardens and Green Spaces (2010) and lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.