Interesting information about the cruciferous family. The world of plants - interesting facts. General information about cruciferous vegetables

Cabbage belongs to the Cruciferous family, also called Brassicaceae. Humanity has been appreciating the vegetable for a long time, not only for its taste, but also for its beneficial properties. This agricultural crop has been known since ancient times.

Varieties and differences in composition

More than 100 varieties of cabbage are known. All of them are divided into 3 subcategories: deciduous, colored and cabbage. The composition of the fruits differs slightly depending on their varieties:

White cabbage. Rich in minerals, ascorbic acid, vitamins K, U, PP, group B.
Red cabbage. Contains a large amount of mineral salts and organic acids.
Savoy. It differs in that it contains 2 times more protein than cabbage.
Colored. Contains pectins, citric and malic acids in large quantities.
Brussels. Rich in carotene, B vitamins, ascorbic acid;
Broccoli. Contains vitamins A, K, PP, E, C and group B.
Beijing. It is distinguished by the presence of essential amino acids, which help cleanse the blood and strengthen the immune system.

In addition, many other varieties are known.

Choosing the right vegetable

The leaves are fresh, there are no spots or dents on them.
The forks, when compressed, are elastic in late varieties, and soft in early varieties.
There is no mold on the stalk.
The aroma is pleasant.

These tips will help you choose a fresh product.

How to cook cabbage

From all the variety of varieties of this vegetable, many delicious dishes are obtained. It is best to eat cabbage raw. But it has also been established that it will be healthier when fermented, as the amount of nutrients increases. They also prepare various salads, casseroles, stews, cabbage rolls, borscht, cabbage soup, and soups. Vegetables can be stewed, steamed, fried in batter, etc.

Where did cabbage come from?

The origin of this vegetable is still unknown. Some believe that this crop was first cultivated by the Greeks, others by the Georgians, and still others by the Italians.

According to archaeological excavations, this agricultural crop was known back in the Stone and Bronze Ages. Cabbage was very popular in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The name of the vegetable comes from the ancient Roman and ancient Greek "caputum", which means "head".

Signs

Since cabbage is a favorite food in various countries, there are many superstitions associated with it. For example, in Germany and Austria, girls used to tell fortunes about their betrothed. Both cabbage and rutabaga were planted in one hole at the same time. If both plants grew well, then the wedding took place. Otherwise there was a refusal.

To keep the heads of cabbage dense, in the eastern part of Prussia they prefer to trample the soil where the vegetable will grow, and then leave the cobblestones. Some Austrians prefer not to eat cabbage on December 26, since on this day St. Stephen hid from his pursuers in the field where these vegetables grew.

Museums in honor of cabbage

Oddly enough, museums are opened in honor of this vegetable. For example, one of the most famous is located in the capital of South Korea. He is known as Kimchi Museum. This term refers to the main dish in this country. It is prepared from Korean cabbage with salt, red pepper, garlic, and a sauce based on anchovies and shrimp. In addition, various types of onions and cucumber are added.

Another establishment is located near Paris - this is the Museum of Forgotten Vegetables. It is located in plaster houses where peasants lived who grew vegetables for the capital's residents in the Middle Ages. The museum was opened in 1983. This area with its plaster houses was liquidated as Paris grew, but a museum was opened in memory of the vegetables.

There are many monuments dedicated to cabbage. They are located in the following cities:

Veliky Novgorod (Russia). The monument was created in 2011. It consists of 3 heads of cabbage, between the leaves of which you can see ruble, dollar and euro bills.
Saransk (Russia). The sculpture is called “New Life”.
Kemerovo (Russia). It represents a cabbage in which a child sits.
Tomsk (Russia). The monument was erected in 2008 near the maternity hospital. It represents the vegetable from which the baby emerges.
Jiangxi (China). The sculpture looks like a large cabbage measuring 6 m.
Kyiv, Ukraine). The monument is called “You will have a child.”
Stuttgart (Germany). The monument was erected in honor of a certain type of vegetable, which is very popular in this area.

In addition, there are other sculptures in honor of this vegetable.

Holidays in honor of cabbage

In ancient Rome, a holiday was held in honor of cabbage on May 1st. There is also a Serbian celebration, which is still held in the city of Novi Sad. The holiday is called Kupusiyada. A holiday is also held in Germany in honor of sauerkraut. The Saint-Sant variety also earned this honor in France - the celebration takes place in October.

In Russia, this vegetable is also very important for people. There are several folk celebrations. For example, May 18 (and according to another calendar, May 5) is the day of Arina (Irina) of Macedonia. People call this date Cabbage Day, as it is customary to plant seedlings in the garden beds. Another option is Sergei Kapustnik. In the folk Slavic calendar it is held on September 25 (or October 8 in another style). On this day, cabbage was chopped.

Other facts about cabbage

In addition to the above, there is other interesting information about cabbage:

Cabbage is a low-calorie product.
The most dangerous is the stalk, since it is in it that all the nitrates are collected;
In Japan, cabbage is grown not only as a food product, but also as an ornamental crop.
Korean astronauts must eat cabbage.

Cabbage is an extremely healthy product. This vegetable has been grown since ancient times, as evidenced by many archaeological finds. Cabbage is valued for its taste and healing qualities.

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is a species of the genus Cabbage (Brassica) of the Brassicaceae (Cruciferous) family. This is a biennial plant, an agricultural crop.

The wild relative of cabbage has not yet been identified, as well as the place where cabbage was first grown. There are disputes between Georgians, Greeks and Italians for the right to be called the birthplace of this vegetable.

Archaeological excavations indicate that people began to use cabbage since the Stone and Bronze Ages.

Already in the 15th-10th centuries BC, cabbage was widely cultivated in Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Greek doctors from the time of Ramses II considered cabbage to be extremely healthy and recommended including it in baby food.

Cabbage was later grown in ancient Greece. The first descriptions of cabbage appeared here in 372-287. BC.

The ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras greatly appreciated the medicinal properties of cabbage and was engaged in its selection.

Cabbage was also grown in Ancient Rome, where only 3 to 10 varieties were known.

The legend associated with the origin of cabbage says that drops of sweat rolled down to the ground from the head of the god Jupiter. Cabbage grew from them.

It is believed that the word “cabbage” comes from the ancient Greek and Roman “caputum” (head), which emphasizes the peculiar shape of this vegetable.

For the first time, the southern tribes of the Slavs learned about cabbage from Greco-Roman colonists who lived in the Black Sea region.

In the 9th century, cabbage began to be grown in Rus'.

The first written mention of cabbage can be found in the “Svyatoslav’s Collection” - the oldest reference book of Kievan Rus. Gradually this vegetable became more and more popular. Domostroi contained detailed instructions on the use, cultivation and storage of cabbage, and Russian medical books contained many medicinal recipes for various diseases using it.

In historical chronicles you can read that during the wedding of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with Natalya Naryshkina, chicken “in the cabbage soup of the rich” was served at the wedding table.

Cabbage in Rus' has always been available to any class. Remember the saying: “Soup soup and porridge are our food”?

In Rus' there was a tradition of collectively preparing this vegetable for the winter. Cabbage was chopped after September 27, immediately after the Orthodox holiday of the Exaltation. At this time, a series of cheerful autumn parties began - cabbage parties or cabbage parties, which lasted two weeks.

You've probably heard the expression "professor of sour cabbage soup." Do you know what exactly they called sour cabbage soup in Pushkin's era? There are such lines in one of A. S. Pushkin’s drafts: “They serve nuts and drink sour cabbage soup in the theater.” Or here is Gogol’s description of Chichikov’s dinner with “a portion of cold veal” and “a bottle of sour cabbage soup.” Gilyarovsky, in his essays “Moscow and Muscovites,” explained the meaning of this mysterious bottle of cabbage soup. It turns out that in Russia at that time sour cabbage soup was the name for a very spicy drink made from cabbage, like kvass, so carbonated that it was poured into champagne bottles - another container would simply burst. We drank this product after a bath and especially with a hangover. Cooking it required great skill, so a person capable of this was called the “master of sour cabbage soup.” Such a master was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens. Later, “master” was replaced by “professor,” and the phrase finally lost its original meaning, acquiring the meaning of ridicule.

Initially, cabbage soup in our understanding, not a drink but a first course, was prepared from cabbage, seasoned with radish and other roots. After the appearance of potatoes in Russia, they began to add potatoes to cabbage soup.

Cabbage was a favorite food in Austria and Germany. It was consumed both fresh and salted.

In these countries, many customs and beliefs were associated with cabbage. For example, they used cabbage to tell fortunes about their betrothed: they planted cabbage and rutabaga in the same hole and named the names of the guy and the girl. If both plants grew well, they had a wedding, but if not, then they refused the offer.

In East Prussia, in order for the heads of cabbage to grow densely, the soil was trampled down after sowing, and a large stone was left nearby.

And in the Austrian Alps there was even such a custom: before the wedding, the bride went to the kitchen, where sauerkraut was prepared for the wedding dinner, and salted it, so that later in her married life she would not salt her husband.

In Austria, they did not eat cabbage on December 26: according to legend, on this day Saint Stephen found refuge from his persecutors in a cabbage field, hiding among the heads of cabbage.

Cabbage is good for the liver, the stomach, the figure, and for cleansing the body.

Pickled cabbage is much healthier than fresh cabbage! The beneficial qualities of sauerkraut last for about 10 months, so you can eat it almost all year round!

Sauerkraut contains lactic acid, which preserves beneficial bacteria in the intestines.

To make cabbage even healthier, it is better to ferment it not as we are used to - finely shredded, but cut into several large pieces. Then the amount of minerals and vitamins in the product will approximately double.

Cabbage was introduced into scientific medicine after the discovery of an anti-ulcer factor called vitamin U. Juice from the leaves is recommended for the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastritis and colitis.

Cabbage leaves help remove cholesterol from the body.

In folk medicine, fresh cabbage juice has long been used to heal festering wounds and ulcers. It reduces blood sugar, is very effective in combating constipation, and increases the release of excess fluid from the body.

Cabbage juice is a cosmetic product. It has a rejuvenating effect, so it is used to rinse the face and prepare various cosmetic masks. Here is the recipe for one of them: Pass a few cabbage leaves through a meat grinder. Apply the paste to your face and keep for 20-30 minutes. Then rinse off. This mask is good for aging skin.

Cabbage is also a popular garden plant. Decorative varieties originate from Japan, where the decorative properties of cabbage were first appreciated. At the end of the season, when there are few flowering plants in the gardens, ornamental cabbage is an indispensable plant for decorating flower beds.

Now cabbage is called money (rubles or dollars). Today I have cabbage - I have money. Chop cabbage (or mow, dig, etc.) - earn currency.

Sometimes clothes are called cabbage - dressed up in imported cabbage.

If you plant marigolds next to cabbage, it is not only very beautiful, but also protects the cabbage from various pests. Without any insecticide treatment, cabbage leaves remain healthy and undamaged.

Fry the minced meat in vegetable or olive oil, add some Provençal herbs and salt to taste.

Mix minced meat, cabbage and herbs.

For the dough, pour a glass of mayonnaise and a glass of kefir into a bowl, add 3 eggs and a spoonful of soda.

Add 8 tablespoons of sifted flour there, beat everything with a mixer.

Grease the pie pan with vegetable oil.

Pour half of the dough into the mold.

Carefully place the filling onto this dough.

Pour the second half of the dough on top.

We level everything and put it in the oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Bon appetit!

General information about cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous (lat. Cruciferae) or Cabbage (lat. Brassicaceae), a family of free-petalled dicotyledonous plants. Herbs, less often subshrubs and shrubs. Over 3 thousand species (about 350 genera), mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. Cruciferous plants include vegetables (cabbage, radish), oilseeds (colza, rapeseed) and weeds (shepherd's purse, springberry), as well as melliferous, medicinal, dyeing and ornamental plants. Horseradish (Armoracia), a genus of perennial plants of the cruciferous (cabbage) family. Three species, in Europe, the Caucasus and Siberia.

Horseradish, or country horseradish (A. rusticana), is a vegetable crop. The plant is 50-150 cm high, with a fleshy white rhizome (“root”) and large leaves. The flowers are white, small, collected in a racemose inflorescence. Cultivated as an annual and biennial plant in Western Europe, Asia and America. In Russia - since the 16th century everywhere. The leaves and roots are rich in vitamin C and mustard essential oil, which gives horseradish its pungent taste. Horseradish roots secrete phytoncides. The roots are grated and used as a spicy seasoning. In folk medicine, horseradish is an antiscorbutic and anti-cold remedy. The gruel from the roots is used for rubbing for radiculitis, and the water infusion is used for gargling for sore throat. Due to its diuretic effect, it is used for dropsy and gout. The leaves are a spice for pickling cucumbers, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Rapeseed is an annual herbaceous plant of the cabbage genus of the cruciferous family. Winter and spring (colza). They are grown in India, China, Canada, etc. to obtain edible and technical oil (33-50% in seeds), for feed to farm animals. Honey plant. Gray jaundice Erysimum canescens L. is a herbaceous biennial plant 30-50 cm high, with branched stems. The leaves are alternate, narrow, linear-lanceolate.

Botanical description. Cruciferous plants are annual and perennial herbs, rarely subshrubs or shrubs. Most leaves are arranged alternately and have no stipules. All parts of the majority are covered with hairs, between which stellate and bifurcated are especially characteristic; on the same plant there are often hairs of several forms. Since they are filled with air, they give the entire plant, if there are many of them, a gray appearance. The flowers are small or even small, collected in clusters ending both the main stem and the branches. At first, these brushes often look like corimbas. The number of sepals and petals is 4. In rare cases, petals do not grow. The colors are yellow and white, less often pink or other colors. There are 6 stamens, of which 2 are short and 4 are long, arranged in pairs. The gynoecium consists of two fused carpels and is entire. The ovary is two-lobed, containing ovules in each nest, located at the seams. The fruit is in the form of a pod or pod, depending on size. When ripe, it bursts at the seams, its flaps fall off, but what remains is a frame formed by the seams and a thin partition stretched over this frame. Seeds in varying numbers sit along the seams on both sides of the frame. They are without protein and have a crooked, oily embryo. Their peel is quite thick and becomes sticky when wetted in water. Cruciferous fruits are most susceptible to deviations and changes, although these changes do not affect the main essential feature of the fruit, which is that it is 2-locular, that its seeds are located at the seams, and that the seeds themselves are without protein and have a crooked embryo. Cruciferous vegetables contain more or less caustic juices and a significant amount of sulfur. Therefore, when they rot, they release hydrogen sulfide, which produces an unpleasant odor. Many of them, such as gillyflowers and wallflowers, are known in gardening, and many are important garden plants that provide abundant and healthy food.
The main genera of the cruciferous family:
Wasabi
Mustard (Sinapis)
Jaundice (Erysimum)
Zherukha (Nasturtium)
Goldweed (Chrysochamela)
Ikotnik (Berteroa)
Katran (Crambe)
Cabbage (Brassica)
Levkoy (Matthiola)
Lunaria
Radish (Raphanus)
Ryzhik (Camelina)
Shepherd's Purse (Capsella)
Horseradish (Armoracia)

Healing properties and use in folk medicine. Mustard. The popularity of mustard in folk medicine is very high. In first place are mustard plasters - for rheumatism, sciatica and gout. Then comes mustard alcohol for rubbing in for muscle pain, sprains, sprains and, of course, rheumatism. Mustard compresses are also very popular for bronchial catarrh. For children, they are made a little softer by adding about 20% pork fat to the mustard pulp. Use as a seasoning. There is a well-known saying: “The one who doesn’t know how to use spices grabs the mustard.” They used to think so, but today they think differently. New research has shown that mustard is one of the most health-promoting spices. It perfectly promotes digestion, helps to absorb fatty foods, which do not sit in the stomach “like lead”, but are very quickly processed by it and then finally digested in the intestines. In older people, mustard, by stimulating digestion, significantly improves metabolism. Mustard improves health. When small children have no appetite, they often grab mustard. There is no need to stop them. They instinctively choose what will help them. Edible mustard is produced according to various recipes (soft, sweet, hot, hot) from mustard seeds, which must undergo enzymatic degradation to form mustard-oil allyl.
Shepherd's purse is recommended as a blood purifier for spring treatment. Together with horsetail herb, this tea is given for coughs, rheumatism and gout. Traditional medicine uses shepherd's purse for diseases of the liver and biliary system. As an external rinse and rinse, it has gained a strong position as a remedy against oral infections and for the treatment of poorly healing wounds. Traditional medicine recommends using shepherd's purse herb in the form of tea and for diabetes.

You will learn from this article what the importance of cruciferous vegetables is in nature and human life.

Meaning of cruciferous vegetables

Plants of the cruciferous family are characterized by similar structures of the fruit and flower. The flower consists of calyxes and 4 sepals. The corolla has 4 free petals, which are arranged crosswise, 6 stamens and a pistil. The fruit is formed in the pistil. Cruciferous flowers form a raceme inflorescence. The fruit is a shortened pod or a long pod. The leaves are arranged alternately, and the stipules are completely absent. Most of the plants are herbaceous.

The importance of the cruciferous family is determined by their specific characteristics and structure. Some plants contain substances with a pungent taste and strong aroma (horseradish, radish, mustard). Others contain sulfur, oils, vitamins (cabbage). Representatives of the cruciferous family are used as oilseeds, vegetables, medicinal, melliferous, spicy and ornamental plants. There are also weeds among them, which are constantly being fought.

The importance of cruciferous vegetables in human life

The economic importance of cruciferous vegetables in human life is very great. Most of them are vegetable plants. Cabbage plays an important role - cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, broccoli. People also eat other cruciferous vegetables: radishes, turnips, rutabaga and radishes. Horseradish roots make a delicious seasoning. Oil is produced from mustard seeds, and what remains after pressing is ground into powder for table mustard and mustard plasters.

Medicinal value of representatives of the cruciferous family

The use of mustard is very popular in medicine. First of all, mustard plasters are made from it for sciatica, gout and rheumatism. Mustard alcohol is effective for rheumatism, sprains, muscle pain, and sprains. Mustard compresses are especially popular for bronchial catarrh. We have already written that seasoning is made from mustard. And not in vain. The seasoning also has a healing effect. It promotes digestion and helps the body absorb fatty foods. It is especially useful for older people, as mustard powder improves metabolism. Another medicinal plant among cruciferous plants is shepherd's purse. It is a blood purifier. Tea from shepherd's purse and horsetail is drunk for rheumatism, cough and gout. In addition, this plant helps with diseases of the biliary system and liver. Its decoction is used to gargle and wash wounds. Shepherd's purse herb is effective for diabetes.

The temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere is where the Cruciferous family, numbering more than three thousand species, is mainly distributed. It includes annual, biennial, and perennial plants that have a similar structure.

The cruciferous family gets its name from the cross-shaped petals in the flowers of its species. Other common features include four sepals that make up the calyx, four petals that make up the corolla, and stamens (two short and four long). The inflorescence of the raceme is also a characteristic feature of all plants included in the family. Cruciferous plants produce fruits called pods. As for the leaves, a basal rosette is formed from them or they are attached to the stem alternately. The root system is taproot; some members of the family develop a root crop. The erect stem is often covered with soft or stiff hairs.

Plants are pollinated mainly by bees and bumblebees, flies and butterflies. This suggests that members of the family are excellent honey plants with a strong aroma.

Vegetables, oilseeds, fodder, medicinal, ornamental plants, as well as weeds - they are all included in this family. Cruciferous weeds are a serious headache for agricultural workers: a special treatment regime is often required in order to destroy them. At the same time, some of their species are actively used in traditional medicine - for example, they are used for This property is well known not only in domestic, but also in Chinese and Tibetan medicine, therefore this weed is also classified as a medicinal plant. Turnips, also a member of the Cruciferous family, serve as raw materials for obtaining high-quality leaves, and gillyflowers are perhaps the most striking decorative representatives of the family.

There is no person who has not heard of It used to be one of the most popular products consumed in America. However, scientists have proven the presence of toxic substances in it that affect the heart muscle, thyroid gland and kidneys, and also provoke the formation of fatty deposits. Today, both rapeseed and mustard are popular types of technical oils.

Well, perhaps the most interesting group is Cruciferous - vegetables. Before the appearance of potatoes in Rus', turnips took their place. “Second Bread” - that’s what people called it, and almost every Russian folk tale mentioned this wonderful representative of this family. Today in the United States they are actively growing this root crop.

Another ancient root vegetable, radish, in combination with honey, has long been used in Rus' as a folk medicine that helps quickly remove mucus from the respiratory tract during colds. And salads made from radish and its closest relative, the radish, have long taken their rightful place on our table.

Not only technical oils are made from mustard, but also an excellent seasoning. Who in childhood was not treated for colds with mustard plasters? Modern medicine has long appreciated the medicinal properties of this representative of cruciferous vegetables.

It is impossible not to mention the most famous plant of the family - cabbage. Its wild forms have been known since prehistoric times. Today the popularity of this vegetable is very high. It is grown on all continents, hundreds of dishes are prepared from cabbage, sour cabbage soup is cooked and delicious pies are baked, and the juice is used for medicinal purposes. Kohlrabi, broccoli, Chinese cabbage are just a small fraction of the varietal diversity. Each of its types has its own unique taste and has its own lovers and connoisseurs.

By the way, not so long ago the Cruciferous family was renamed, giving it a name in honor of its most famous representative - Brassicas.