Kale

Kale is a leafy plant.

Its leaves can be curly or bumpy. Some leaves are green and some are purple. It can grow in the cold winter. A frost can even make it taste sweet.

People use kale for food. Some people use it to make gardens look pretty. It is a very healthy plant to eat.

Kale is a leafy plant that people grow for food.

It can have many different looks. Some leaves are curly or bumpy. Other leaves are flat. The colors can be green or purple.

Kale is a very tough plant. It can grow in the cold winter. A heavy frost can even make it taste sweeter.

People use kale in many ways. Some use it for food. In Ireland, people mix it with potatoes for a dish called colcannon. In Italy, it is part of a soup called ribollita. In Germany, people enjoy a winter hike called Kohlfahrt. After the hike, they eat kale with sausage.

Some kale is grown to look pretty. This is called ornamental kale. It can be white, pink, or blue. People use it to decorate gardens. Some people even use it in wedding bouquets.

Kale is very healthy. It has many vitamins. In the United States, many people now put it in salads and smoothies.

Kale is a leafy plant that people grow for many reasons. Some people grow it to eat, while others grow it to look pretty in gardens. The leaves come in many shapes and colors. You might see leaves that are curly, bumpy, or even flat. The colors can range from light green to dark green or violet-brown.

Some kale even has sparkly or shiny leaves. It is a very hardy plant that loves the winter. A heavy frost can even make the leaves taste sweeter.

There are many different types of kale to discover. Curly-leaf types are often called Scots kale or blue curled kale. Bumpy-leaf varieties are known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale. Some people call this bumpy kind "cavolo nero" in Italian. There are also plain-leaf types like red Russian or white Russian kale. Some varieties have very long stems, while others have short ones.

You can even find ornamental kale with bright white or pink colors. These are used for decoration or even in wedding bouquets.

Kale has a very long history in our world. It likely started in the eastern Mediterranean and Anatolia. People were growing it for food by 2000 BCE. In the 4th century BC, people in Greece grew both curly and flat leaves. The Romans called these early versions Sabellian kale. In the 14th century, people in England knew the difference between kale and cabbage.

Russian traders later brought Russian kale to Canada and the United States.

Many different cultures have special ways to enjoy kale. In Ireland, it is mixed with mashed potatoes to make colcannon. In Italy, it is a key part of a soup called ribollita. People in the Netherlands eat it in a dish called boerenkoolstamppot. In Germany, groups go on a winter hike called Kohlfahrt before eating kale with sausage.

In Sri Lanka, a dish called kale mallung is served with rice. Even in the United States, kale is very popular in salads and smoothies today.

Eating kale is a great way to get nutrients. It is a very good source of vitamin K. It also provides plenty of vitamin A and vitamin C. Kale has many minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Some people even make kale chips as a snack instead of potato chips. While boiling can lower some nutrients, steaming or stir-frying keeps many of them inside. This makes kale a very useful and healthy plant for people everywhere.

Kale, also known as leaf cabbage, is a diverse group of plants belonging to the species *Brassica oleracea*. These cultivars are primarily grown for their edible leaves, though many are used as ornamental plants. Unlike headed cabbage, the central leaves of a kale plant do not form a tight head. The leaves can appear bumpy, curly, or flat, with colors ranging from light green to violet-brown.

The stems of the plant may be white or red, and they can remain tough even after cooking.

Cultivating kale involves managing a hardy biennial plant grown from seeds. Because it is derived from wild mustard, kale is biologically closer to wild cabbage than most other domesticated *B. oleracea* forms. It thrives in wintertime and can survive very low temperatures. Interestingly, a heavy frost can actually make the leaves taste sweeter. One specific variety, known as rape kale, is called "hungry gap" kale. This name refers to the traditional agricultural period in winter when few other crops can be harvested.

There are many distinct types of kale classified by leaf shape and stem length. Curly-leaf varieties include Scots kale and blue curled kale. Bumpy-leaf types, such as Tuscan kale or dinosaur kale, are also known as *cavolo nero* in Italian. Some varieties feature sparkly or glossy leaves, while others are plain-leaf types like red Russian kale. There is even a feathery-type leaf that is a cross between curly and plain varieties.

Additionally, ornamental kale varieties like peacock kale or chidori kale are grown for their brilliant white, pink, or lavender colors.

The history of kale stretches back thousands of years to the eastern Mediterranean and Anatolia. Evidence shows it was cultivated for food by 2000 BCE at the latest. By the 4th century BC, Greece grew both curly and flat-leaved varieties. The Romans referred to these ancestors of modern kale as Sabellian kale. In 14th-century England, records began to distinguish between loose-leaf kale and hard-heading cabbage. Later, in the 19th century, Russian traders introduced Russian kale to Canada and the United States.

USDA botanist David Fairchild is credited with bringing kale to Americans from Croatia.

In the United States, kale has seen a massive shift in significance. For most of the 20th century, it was used mainly for decoration. However, it became a common food starting in the 1990s due to its high nutritional value. Today, it is one of the most popular greens in the country, frequently found in salads and smoothies. In 2012, the scale of its use was highlighted when Pizza Hut purchased approximately 14,000 lbs of kale for salad bar decoration. It is also used as a decorative ingredient in vegetable and wedding bouquets.

Nutritionally, raw kale is composed of 84% water, 9% carbohydrates, 4% protein, and 1% fat. It is an exceptionally rich source of vitamin K, providing 3.7 times the Daily Value in a single serving. It also provides 20% or more of the Daily Value for vitamins A, C, folate, and manganese. Kale is a good source of several minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

While boiling raw kale diminishes many of these nutrients, steaming, microwing, or stir-frying does not cause a significant loss of glucosinolate compounds. These compounds are part of the plant's phytochemical profile, which includes carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin.

Culturally, kale is a staple in many different global traditions. In the Netherlands, people eat *boerenkoolstamppot*, a mix of curly kale and mashed potatoes. In Northern Germany, the tradition of *Kohlfahrt*, or a "kale trip," involves hiking before eating kale with sausage. In Ireland, kale is mixed with potatoes to create the traditional dish colcannon. In Italy, the bumpy *cavolo nero* is used in Tuscan *ribollita* soup.

Even the name of a famous group of Scottish writers, the Kailyard school, comes from the word for a kale field.