The world of vegetables is quite wide and it covers some foods, which are quite difficult to list them all in one simple list. In each country there are different types of products and it is quite common that you do not know all the vegetables that exist. For this reason, Today we are going to offer you more information about kohlrabi.
This vegetable is quite a rarity in Spanish gastronomy, but you can use it for some dishes, as well as benefit from its properties.
What is kohlrabi?
As its name implies, this curious vegetable is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. Its scientific name is napobrassica. Though, it is also commonly known in some countries as rutabaga.
It is a plant whose vegetative cycle usually lasts 2 years. It can be found that the part of the kohlrabi bulb is a tuber, since it grows underground. While the green part, which is the plant, has stems that protrude from the ground between 20 to 30 cm maximum.
Its origin is European. Although, the exact place where this type of vegetable began to be raised is not known, its name is of Swedish origin, rutabaga, in fact means bag of roots.
This type of vegetable is usually grown in very deep soils and above all can be found in adverse climates such as northern Europe. Most of the current kohlrabi production can be found in North America and Northern Europe.
kohlrabi uses
Kohlrabi is not a very popular vegetable, but it it has become the basis of many cuisines in Northern Europe. Just like you use potato or onion, This vegetable can be cooked, boiled or fried. It offers great versatility and can be used with almost any legume dish, in salads or purees.
Its flavor is quite strong if consumed raw in salads. Although, if you decide to add a little kohlrabi to a puree, it will be delicious.
The good thing about kohlrabi is that you can not only eat the octopus, since the stems and its leaves are also edible and can be used for different recipes.
It is not a very common vegetable in many southern European countries, but you can find kohlrabi in the main supermarkets.
What are the properties of kohlrabi?
Despite what many people may think about this food, it is a vegetable quite healthy. One of the main characteristics that kohlrabi brings to our health is its high vitamin C content. It is interesting to take a portion of 100 grams to obtain the recommended daily amount of vitamin C in our body.
Kohlrabi is an important source that provides minerals, proteins and different vitamins to our health. It is especially indicated by doctors for those people who have kidney or heart problems.
Many diets recommend replace the potato with the kohlrabi, since it is a low-calorie food. The good thing about this vegetable is that due to its high fiber content it promotes intestinal transit.
Can kohlrabi be cooked?
Yes, sure, you can cook the kohlrabi. It can be used to cook different dishes and for this reason, we are going to show you some recipes that are worth trying.
Kohlrabi sticks recipe
Next, we are going to indicate a couple of recipes that can surely come in handy if you do not know how to cook this vegetable. Kohlrabi is one of those vegetables that is often overlooked in the market but is quite versatile.
If, for example, you want to make kohlrabi sticks, you should only have these ingredients:
- Two medium rutabagas
- Olive oil and salt.
- Garlic powder and other seasonings you may have on hand at home.
To make this recipe you just have to follow these steps:
- Heat the oven to 200ºC.
- Peel the kohlrabi and cut it into strips.
- Afterwards, you just have to place them in a large container and add olive oil, salt and the mixture of seasonings that you have selected so that they can be seasoned well.
- Once you have placed the kohlrabi on a tray, you must leave space between each one of them and bake for about 15 minutes.
- Once the rutabagas are golden, don't forget to turn them over so that they can be cooked on both sides.
- When you see that the kohlrabi is golden on both sides, all you have to do is remove it from the oven and add a little garlic powder.
It tastes quite similar to French fries but a little sweeter!
kohlrabi puree
Another recipe that we also recommend is kohlrabi puree. For that, you only have to wash the kohlrabi with fresh water and rub the shell with a special brush for vegetables. In this way, you can remove any excess dirt from the surface that it has. Afterwards, you just have to dry it and peel it as if it were a potato.
I recommend the kohlrabi in small pieces with a kitchen knife, since in this way it will cook faster and then you can pass it through the blender easier.
Then, you must add it to a pot with water and heat it with a lid over medium-high heat for 40 minutes.
After this time the kohlrabi will be prepared so that you can pass it through the blender and in this way take advantage of the kohlrabi puree that you can taste a grilled meat.
It is recommended to season with salt and pepper to taste, plus other seasonings to make it have more flavor and texture. You can serve the puree when it is still hot, since cold kohlrabi is not very good.
What other dishes would you like to prepare with kohlrabi as the main ingredient?