Savoy cabbage: what it contains, how to use it in the kitchen, and when to be careful

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Savoy cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is the crinkle-leaved winter cabbage that sits in the vegetable patch when little else does. This page is for anyone who has a head of it on the counter tonight: what is actually in it, the forms herbalism and country kitchens have traditionally put it to, how to cook it so it sits comfortably, and who should go easy.

What it is credited with

• In old European folk practice, cabbage was a household plant of the cold season, eaten daily as a fortifying winter vegetable when fresh greens were scarce.
• Traditional herbalism made much of fresh cabbage juice, taken in small glasses before meals, for general stomach comfort.
• Country remedies across France, Italy and the British Isles used crushed or bruised raw leaves as a poultice laid on aching joints, stiff shoulders and tired legs.
• Naturopathy credits the cooked, well-blanched leaf with being gentler on sensitive digestion than the raw shredded leaf.
• Traditional practice paired cabbage with cumin, caraway or green anise, seeds long reputed to make heavy vegetables sit more easily.
• Naturopathy values it as a bulky, low-calorie vegetable in lighter eating, for its fibre and water content rather than for any slimming property of its own.
• Herbalists point to its vitamin C content as the reason it has a long-standing reputation as a winter tonic food.

How to use it

Raw, in salad

• Take the pale inner leaves, remove the thick central rib, and shred them as finely as you can.
• Dress at least 20 minutes before serving: oil, cider vinegar or lemon, a pinch of salt. The dressing softens the leaf.
• Roughly a good handful per person. Raw savoy is the most demanding form on the gut, so start small.

Blanched, the gentle way

• Separate the leaves, drop them into a large pan of boiling water for about 10 minutes, then drain well.
• Add a teaspoon of cumin or green anise seeds to the water, the traditional trick for making cabbage easier on the stomach.
• Change the water once if you find the smell strong; this also softens the sulphurous note.
• This is the step herbalism recommends first for anyone with a delicate digestion, before any recipe.

Cooked dishes

• Hot pots and soups: shred and add in the last 15 to 20 minutes, no longer, or the flavour turns.
• Stuffed leaves: blanch whole leaves first so they roll without splitting.
• It pairs particularly well with white fish, smoked bacon, chestnuts, potato and mustard.

Fresh juice

• Pass raw leaves through a juicer, or blend with a splash of water and strain.
• Traditionally taken as a small glass, well diluted, before a meal, for a few days at a time rather than continuously.
• The taste is frankly green and peppery. Apple or carrot juice makes it drinkable.

Leaf poultice, the country way

• Wash a large leaf, cut out the rib, and crush it with a rolling pin until the sap shows.
• Traditionally warmed briefly, applied to an aching knee, shoulder or back, held with a cloth, and left for an hour or two.
• On intact skin only. Remove at once if the skin reddens, stings or itches.

Growing it yourself

• Give it an airy, sunny spot with steady moisture, sheltered from scorching heat.
• Soil should be rich, deep and well drained; never let it dry out at depth over summer.
• In containers, use pots at least 10 inches (25 cm) across.
• Watch young plants for slugs and snails, and later for cabbage whitefly, flea beetle, weevils, cabbage moth and aphids.
• In damp spells, downy mildew yellows the leaves; space plants generously to keep air moving.
• Full method: how to grow Savoy cabbage.

Among the other cabbages, the red one has a profile of its own, richer still in anthocyanins — see red cabbage and its health benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: blanch the leaves for about 10 minutes in water with cumin or green anise seeds — it is the single change that makes savoy cabbage comfortable to eat.

Which part of savoy cabbage do I actually use?

The leaves, and nothing else. The tender pale inner leaves are best raw and finely shredded, while the tougher outer ones suit soups, hot pots and stuffing. Cut out the thick central rib, which stays stringy however long you cook it.

Why does cabbage make me bloated, and can I avoid it?

Brassicas are fibrous and contain sulphur compounds, a combination that commonly causes wind. Traditional kitchens dealt with it by blanching the leaves in boiling water for about 10 minutes, sometimes changing the water once, and adding cumin, caraway or green anise seeds. Keep portions small at first and build up.

Can I really put a cabbage leaf on a sore knee?

It is a genuine country remedy: a washed leaf with the rib removed, crushed until the sap shows, warmed and bound on with a cloth for an hour or two. Tradition used it on stiff, aching joints and tired limbs. Use it on intact skin only, never on wounds, and take it off if the skin stings or reddens.

Is a cabbage soup diet a good idea?

Savoy cabbage is genuinely light at about 20 kcal per 100 g, which is why it turns up in lighter eating plans. A diet of nothing but cabbage broth and a few vegetables is another matter: it is unbalanced and should never be stretched out, and not attempted at all if you are pregnant, taking medication or in poor health without medical supervision.

When is savoy cabbage at its best?

From mid-autumn through to late winter. Heads that have stood out through a frost or two are noticeably sweeter and firmer. Whole and uncut, a head keeps two to three weeks in a cool place.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.