Kale, the super fashionable food – News

The first cousin of broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, kale has been seen in kitchens and grocery stores in recent years, where consumers are looking for their curly leaves primarily because of their concentration of vitamins and minerals. antioxidants that make it a "superfood" .

"Cabbage takes its fame at a time when there is a clear tendency to badociate food and health with the hand … Add to that the move and become a niche market, it becomes more and more " badures the producer Agustín Benito.

With cauliflower and kumquake, kale is the protagonist in winter when it is at its best.

In Argentina, kale is produced in the province of Buenos Aires and two annual sowings are made, one at the beginning of the year and the other in the middle. He begins to harvest at three months.

"There are different colors, red and green, which accentuate their color with the cold, and the crisp and smooth leaves, the best known is the rolled leaves, although rizadito" explains the producer. [19659002] Currently, the market is small, but it is growing because it's starting to talk about the product for some time and that cooks have incorporated it into their restaurant menus.

Although this seems like a novelty to young consumers, grandmothers know the plant like traditional cabbage or kale. And, as in other regions, there are also fashions in the food.

Kale can be eaten raw, in salads and juices, or cooked as any other leafy vegetable, without being discarded in juice mixed with optional fruit between meals.

The Spanish nutritionist Laura Arranz, author of the book Kale, the superfood that can help you improve your diet and your health & # 39; a cooked ration of 200 grams "contains more calcium than a cup of milk, more iron than meat, 3 to 4 times more folic acid than eggs, 4 at 10 times more vitamin C than spinach and almost 3 times more than oranges ". The composition of cabbage includes carotenoids, responsible for the colors of fruits and vegetables, precursors of vitamins A, C, K, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potbadium and iron, as well as as a source of vegetable protein and fiber. Another of its benefits is to have a very low calorie: a cup has 33. It is also distinguished by its high content of iron, potbadium, calcium and beta-carotene.

"It's like it's about a nutritional concentrate" comments the Doctor in Food and Nutrition, who believes this may be an important part of the diet food, but do not provide other foods.

In addition, as indicated, its nutritional properties make it superior, especially in vegetable proteins and fiber, to other vegetables such as spinach that have such a good reputation.

"It's a superfood, a term that allows us to explain to the people that there are foods that concentrate a lot of nutrients and very few calories" highlights the specialist. "This is not a food that stays alone, it's true that it started as a trend but we already know that it's a trend that has remained." The consumer buys what is already a health bonus "] says Arranz

HOW TO PREPARE IT

Arranz explains that the central stem of the leaf should be removed because it is very thick. salads, in addition, it is necessary to marinate kale in lemon juice with a little olive oil for half an hour to soften this coarse leaf with a slightly harsh flavor. [19659003] If you want to eat kale, it is important not to overdo it.The ideal average cooking time is 10 minutes.A way to prepare it is boiled, like any other vegetable, and seasoned with olive oil and a little salt or saute.

One of the tips of Arranz is to consume cabbage as soon as you buy it because that the leaf dries up and generates a bitter taste, and the taste of cabbage does not please everyone. "T has a eurone, just like Swiss chard or asparagus, it's powerful, but it depends a lot on how you prepare it " says the nutritionist.

Thus, cabbage is gradually introduced into the diet. Powerful in calcium, iron and vitamins, and low in calories, this vegetable does not seem to be a fad, it's definitely here to stay.

CHIPS

Kale is an easy-to-make snack that is nutritious, crisp and rich. To prepare it, only the leaves are washed and dried, cut into pieces by hand and separated from the stem. Then add some virgin olive oil, salt and some spices to your personal taste, such as a little ginger or pepper before baking for 10 minutes. It's long enough to taste crisp and delicious kale chips