Red Kale

Brassica oleracea

Purple, with jagged leaves, intense and smooth flavor

This particular cultivar of Brassica oleracea var. viridis is also known as jack shredded and sweet red.

Flatter than other cultivars and with jagged edges, its leaves are also the most tender and mild of all varieties.

Red kale grows in a large, loose rosette shape that varies from 0.3 to 0.5 meters in height. It is easily recognizable by its serrated purple leaves, similar to oak leaves.

This variety offers a delicate, slightly sweet, earthy nutty flavor with a substantial texture.

Due to its delicacy, red kale is often grown and used at the baby leaf stage, when the small leaves are excellent additions to salads.

Red kale, named for its purple-violet color, which indicates the presence of compounds called anthocyanins. According to a 2017 study in the Food and Nutrition Research Journal, anthocyanins provide a range of health benefits, including antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

An excellent source of vitamin C, this variety provides iron, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, potassium, protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber.

Interesting facts

In Scotland, cabbage has become such a substantial part of the traditional diet that the word has become synonymous with food in some Scottish dialects: to be "out of your cabbage" means to feel too ill to eat. In the northwestern German cities of Bremen and Oldenburg, it is customary to hold a "Grünkohlfahrt" ("cabbage tour") every January.

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