The Food Alphabetical: C is for Cabbage

Cabbage.

Cabbage. Such a dull word, is it not? A word to insult a stupid person. Redolent of school dinner halls and hospital kitchens.

But I pose the question - is cabbage making a comeback? But perhaps the better question is to ask if it ever went away. Certainly not in Russia, where the average person consumes 44lb (20 kilos) of the stuff every year. Much of our antipathy to it comes, I think, from the typically appalling way we British have with veg. You can take many things and boil them for a while and do no great harm to them. Think potatoes, carrots etc. But for the traditional white cabbage, that's the very worst thing to do.

And for so many of us for so long the pale green hard sphere is what we would think of when we heard the word cabbage. Instead, start saying brassica, and a wider world opens up. The glorious ruby red ones which grace a Christmas dinner; the vibrant green of a Savoy cabbage, the ridged leaves perfect for stuffing with so many delicacies; the dark, almost black bitter leaves of Italian cavolo nero. And be aware that in that same family we have broccoli and cauliflower. Yes, we also have kale and Brussels sprouts, and I'm aware that for many of you that's not selling it at all; however, I would argue that if you take the trouble to make their acquaintance and treat them well you will learn to love them too.

For once in this series, I'll go light on history. We learn that the cabbage was first "domesticated" in Europe about 1000 BC. The heaviest recorded specimen weighed in at 62.7 kilos. I was astonished to learn that nearly half of the world's production comes from China. Jings. The lingering odour is what really puts some people off. Not entirely surprising. When cabbage is overcooked it gives off hydrogen sulphide. That's the same smell you get from rotten eggs.

I talked of it making a comeback, but here's another it never went way stat. I have seen estimates that the world wide market for ready made coleslaw (principal ingredient cabbage) is worth between $1.5 - $2.1 billion, with a steady growth predicted in the next five years.

So how and why can I suggest that the cabbage market is in a good state? Gut health is now being taken much more seriously. Thus the probiotics of sauerkraut are seeing its popularity widen, and the same can be said for cabbage in its fermented form as kimchi. Innovative chefs and restaurants are firmly on the fermentation bandwagon.

While that may be an ancient tradition, enter a new kid on the brassica block, the Hispi. Ten years ago, had you heard of it? And now it's everywhere. If you haven't encountered it recently, you don't get out much. It was selectively bred in the UK and Spain to produce a sweeter and more tender cabbage. which once upon a time was known as Sweetheart. Chefs love it for a variety of reasons.

It's less dense and doesn't release lots of water. That means that it can hold flavours. When you char it, which seems to be the preferred way of cooking, you get a sweet flavour Crucially there's none of the hydrogen sulphide which we mentioned earlier. It's great on a barbecue and looks good on a plate. This week's Tom Cooks! will review Ka Pao, Edinburgh, which serves great Asian food. One of the star dishes was Hispi cabbage with cashew butter.

Hmm, I hear you say. A bit avant garde for you? Not a bit of it. Even Mary Berry is now in on the act, roasting hers with noisette butter. I'm finding recipes with yoghurt lemon and olive oil; with coriander, paprika and chilli; and simply done with butter. Once we get closer to barbecue season I'll share some

People are beginning to realise that brassicas generally need to be cooked either very quickly, or low and slow. More to the point, cooks are returning to dishes which were rightly rejected in the past because of negligent cooking. At Tom's Food! we're not in the veggie camp, but last night's supper involved a bed of garlicky kale with bacon and poached eggs. L will happily buy sprouts at any time of year. Even your boring white lump can be a thing of deliciousness. Steam it quickly until just al dente and serve with salt, pepper and good butter. I suggest that if you don't like these things, you just haven't had them done right.

So in a grey and dank February, where the news is generally awful, and where in Scotland we face the imminent horrors of an election campaign, I leave you with this stirring thought. Viva la brassica!