Krautwelten

Cabbage and kale, once considered the poor man's emergency vegetables, have left the cellars and cabbage rents behind and risen to the hipster lofts of London and the gourmet eateries of Berlin: Feather cabbage and pak choi, white cabbage, savoy cabbage and broccoli are now celebrated as "superfoods".From the million-year-old Kerguelenkohl, the elegant Filderkraut to the Flower Sprouts of the latest cultivars, Angelika Overath leads us through a small cultural history of these vegetable benefactors. She recalls the legendary healing properties of the plant, which have been handed down since antiquity, and recalls James Cook's South Sea expeditions, whose success was due to sauerkraut. It reveals tried-and-tested recipes for osteoarthritis and weight loss, tells of personal herbal experiences, and devotes loving portraits to the beauty and special nature of cabbage plants.