[1] The four varieties of cabbage found in the U.S.: Savoy…(photo © Monika Grabowska | Unsplash).

[2] Napa cabbage…(photo © MG Produce).

[3] Green cabbage…(photos #3 and #4 © Good Eggs).

[4] …and red cabbage.

[5] Today’s recipe (below), Pasta, Cabbage, Salume & Pecorino Cheese (photos #5 and #6 © Veroni).

[6] Salume Milano, a mild salami with garlic and pepper.

[7] Stuffed Savoy cabbage—a beauty (photo © Waitrose).

[8] A simple idea: Make your a salad with chicken strips atop cabbage instead of lettuce (photo by Elvira Kalviste | © The Nibble).

[9] Spicy Thai cabbage salad. Here’s the recipe (photo © Beekman 1802).

We’re glad that cabbage has a holiday: National Cabbage Day on February 17th. Cabbage is a high-antioxidant Brassica (plural Brassicae), the genus family of cruciferous vegetable powerhouses, packed with potent, cancer-fighting phytonutrients.

Members include arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, horseradish/wasabi, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard greens, radish, rapeseed/canola, rapini, rutabaga, tatsoi, turnips, and watercress, among others.

But today, it’s all about cabbage.

> Check below for our favorite cabbage dishes.

> Also below, 30 delicious cabbage recipes.

> The year’s 9 cabbage holidays.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CABBAGE

About 2,500 years ago, Brassica oleracea grew as a wild plant along the coasts of Britain, France, and parts of the Mediterranean. It was known as wild mustard.

Hop over to Ancient Greece and Rome, where wild mustard was cultivated in fields and home gardens. Farmers and home gardeners bred the mustard by selecting seeds from the plants that grew more leaves, yielding more food per plant.

After many generations, this artificial selection (as opposed to natural selection, with no human intervention) produced a leafy version of wild mustard that looked more like modern-day kale or collard greens.

Fast forward to sometime after the year 1600: Farmers selected seeds from plants that produced enlarged leaf buds. After many generations, huge heads of tightly rolled leaves emerged—what we call cabbage.

Other farmers selected for enlarged flowering structures that became broccoli and cauliflower; enlarged stems that became kohlrabi, small heads that became Brussels sprouts).

While these cultivars are diverse in appearance and taste, it may be because the plants grew in different geographic areas and terroirs, which offered more genetic diversity for breeding [source].

Today in the U.S., there are four main cabbage varieties: green, red, Napa, and Savoy (photos #1, #2, #3, and #4).

There’s also a new variety, not widely available, called sweetheart cabbage, kool cabbage, caraflex cabbage, or pointed cabbage.

All can be eaten raw or cooked.

> More cabbage history.
 
 
FAVORITE CABBAGE DISHES

We started eating lots of cabbage years back, when the medical data on antioxidants first appeared in the consumer press. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy cabbage; and there are hundreds of others.

 
But what about pasta?

We’d never come across a cabbage and pasta recipe until we came across this one, sent to us by Veroni.

Looking about, we then found others, but start here.
 
 
RECIPE: PASTA WITH SAVOY CABBAGE SALAME & PECORINO CHEESE

You can substitute different pasta shapes, cabbage varieties, and types of salame (Americans spell it salami). We used leftover baked ham in one variation, and pork and sausages would work equally as well.

Scroll down for more yummy recipes.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. Brown the garlic in hot oil. Then cut the salame into strips and add it to the pan to brown. After 1 minute, add the sage and red wine and simmer until the wine evaporates. Keep warm.

2. WASH the Savoy cabbage, cut it into slices, and boil it together with the pasta. Drain, saving a bit of cooking water, and toss it in the pan with the sauce. Taste and if necessary, adjust the salt and pepper.

3. STIR in the cooking water and plenty of grated pecorino cheese, toss and serve.
 
 
MORE CABBAGE RECIPES

 
 
MORE SLAW & COLE SLAW RECIPES

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[1] Orange and almonds are a great pairing in this Mediterranean-style cake, which uses extra virgin olive oil instead of butter (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Discover California Wines).

[2] Check out different wine and cake pairings in this article.

[3] To share this cake with guests, offer coffee and tea in addition to a dessert wine. And don’t forget: Some people might like a glass of milk!

[5] The rosy flesh of blood oranges will make a more beautiful garnish (photo © Gelson’s Markets).

[6] Instead of the rosiness of blood oranges, cara cara oranges have pink flesh (photo © Good Eggs).

[7] Most California Muscats are sweet, although around the world, the wine produced may be dry, medium, sparkling, a sweet dessert wine. Quady Essencia is a full-bodied sweet wine made with Orange Muscat grapes (photo © Quady Winery).

What to bake on February 16th, National Almond Day? How about this divine Toasted Almond, Orange, and Olive Oil Cake recipe, which uses heart-healthy EVOO instead of butter, and is scented with orange zest.

This easy but impressive toasted almond cake captures three of California’s favorite flavors: navel oranges, olive oil, and almonds.

 
For a bigger celebration, we’re adding a California Muscat (California Late Harvest wine is equally delish).

> The history of almonds.

> The history of cake.

> Pairing wine and cake.

> The different types of cake.
 
 
RECIPE: TOASTED ALMOND, ORANGE & OLIVE OIL CAKE

For the orange garnish, consider one of the showier varieties: rosy blood oranges, or pink-fleshed Cara Cara oranges. But even a standard navel orange will look good atop the cake.

You can change the fruit garnish seasonally.

 
This cake loves fruit of any kind, and a little whipped cream never hurts—or a dab of crème fraîche or mascarpone. You’ll want to keep it in your dessert repertoire year-round.

Enjoy it with a California dessert wine.
 
Ingredients For A 9-Inch (23-cm) Cake

 
Preparation

1. COAT the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pan with vegetable spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Dust the sides with flour, shaking out the excess.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F (175°C). Toast the raw almonds on a baking sheet until fragrant and lightly colored inside, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.

3. GRIND the toasted almonds in a food processor, along with 1 tablespoon of the sifted flour, until fine. Transfer to a bowl and whisk together the ground almonds, the remaining flour, the baking powder, and salt.

4. WHISK the eggs in a large bowl until well blended. Add the sugar gradually and whisk vigorously until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the yogurt, olive oil, orange zest, and extracts. When well blended, add the dry ingredients. Whisk just until blended; do not overmix (it makes the cake tough).

5. POUR the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top. Bake until the cake feels firm on top and just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 40 minutes.

6. COOL the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto another rack and remove the pan and parchment paper. Invert again onto the first rack to finish cooling. Garnish with orange slices.
 
 
WINE PAIRINGS

A glass of sweet wine, with or without a piece of fresh fruit, is often served as dessert in Europe.

You can also serve it with cookies: Follow the Italian tradition of serving Vin Santo, a dessert wine from the Tuscany region of Italy, with biscotti and other cookies (shortbread works nicely).

California produces a range of sweet wines that complement a nutty cake.

 
You can even have the cake with ice cream. Here’s how to pair ice cream with dessert wine.

> Pairing wine and chocolate.

> Wine and dessert pairings.

> Pairing wine and cake (second article).

> Pairing wine and popcorn.
 
 
________________

*To be perfectly accurate, California has designated four official state nuts: almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans.

February 16th is International Syrah Day, a wine that most aficionados place in France’s Rhône Valley* and its wine-making region, called Côtes-du-Rhône. You may be familiar with wines from the Côte Rôtie, Hermitage, and Cornas appellations.

The best of the wines, from producers such as Chapoutier, Chave, Domaine Gerin, Guigal, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Saint Cosme, Yves Cuilleron, are bold and rich with fine-grained tannins.

They have complex flavors of, variously, black raspberry, black currant, violet, and chocolate—along with savory hints of olive, bacon fat, white pepper, and charcoal smoke.

And these bottles will set you back a few bucks ($150 for Guigal Côte Rôtie, for example).

So in honor of the day, below are:

> Very affordable recommendations from other Syrah-growing regions around the world.

> Syrah and food pairings.

> The history of Syrah.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The year’s 25+ red wine holidays.

> The year’s 22+ white wine holidays.

> The history of wine.
 
 
TERROIR & SYRAH

As with all wines and other agricultural products (cacao/chocolate, cheese, coffee, olive oil, oysters, tea. vanilla, etc.), the flavors of the wine depend on both the quality of the rootstock and the terroir†.

Each region in each country, plus microclimates within the region, will produce Syrah wines with different aromas and flavors. While its flavors vary depending on the terroir, all Syrah wines are rich, usually full-bodied, and always deep purple.

Let’s take a look at some wines to try. I’ve even included a few from France.

France is the world’s largest Syrah producer, followed by Spain and Australia. Syrah is the most widely planted Rhône varietal in California.

But who’d have thought ofƒmichigan Michigan? We found some serious Syrahs from that state.

At first, we held back on listing them was that they were not widely available for purchase. Still, I think they deserve a mention, and I’ve added them in the notes below.

— Kris Prasad, Wine Editor
 
 
AFFORDABLE SYRAH WINES TO TRY

Syrah, also known as Shiraz, is a red grape varietal grown throughout the world. It’s a cross between two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche.

It’s not the same as Petite Sirah, which is a cross between Syrah with Peloursin, a red grape believed to have originated in the northern Rhône-Alpes region.

Wineries far beyond France have found great success planting Syrah, Viognier, and other classic Rhône grapes. They typically deliver spicy, peppery, flavors with notes of black fruits and meat/bacon.

How about putting together a group of these and invite your friends to a tasting, be it wine and appetizers, a cookout or a potluck.
 
Australia

 
France

 
Michigan

 
South Africa

 
Washington State

 
 
SYRAH & FOOD PAIRINGS

One reason to try Syrah is if you’re a meat-lover. It’s great with grilled and roasted meats and poultry. So here’s an idea:

 
You’ve got a lot to eat and drink. Have a great time celebrating International Syrah Day.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF SYRAH

Despite the exotic legends that have long circulated about Syrah, DNA testing in 1999 revealed that Syrah is the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France: Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche.

The research, conducted by Professor Carole Meredith at U.C, Davis and Jean-Michel Boursiquot of L’Ecole Nationale Superiore Agronomique de Montpellier, proved definitively that Syrah originated in southeastern France, specifically, the Rhône Valley region.

Syrah first appears in the historical record in 1781, growing outside the Rhône village of Tain-l’Hermitage, where it is still planted today.

Long before then, however, in 77 C.E., Pliny the Elder wrote about wines from Vienne (today’s Côte-Rôtie area of the Northern Rhône) made from a dark-skinned grape that hadn’t existed 50 years earlier.

Some speculate could have been Syrah, a deliberate or accidental cross-breed.

For years, romantic legends claimed the grape came from the city of Shiraz in Persia (Iran), which by the 9th century had established a reputation for producing the finest wine in the world. However, the historical Shirazi wine of Persia was made from entirely different grapes, and there is no proven connection between the city of Shiraz and France’s Syrah grape.

James Busby brought Syrah to Australia in 1831, where it became known as Shiraz and is now considered Australia’s national grape.

The name gradually evolved from Syrah to Shiraz in Australia in the mid-19th century, and the country is now the world’s second-largest producer after France.

Why “Shiraz?” It’s been speculated to be a bastardization of the original word. Another explanation is that some way along the voyage to, or cultivation in, Australia, some labels were either misspelled or misread, giving birth to “Shiraz.”

Another thought is that a mixture of the Scottish and Australian accents on the continent contributed to a name that was easier to pronounce by the locals!

[10] Enliven roast chicken with a glass of Syrah (photo © D & D | London).

[1] Syrah has a deep ruby-red to purple hue, darker than Cabernet Sauvignon. When youthful, the wines can be inky and opaque (photo TRIbella Wine).

[2] In the U.S., California leads with 16,448 acres of Syrah. Washington comes in second at 4,572, and Oregon in third at 1,316. There are small plantings in Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, New York and Texas [source].

[3] Syrah and pasta pairings work well when there’s a meat sauce or other meat ingredient, as in this photo, which has prosciutto (photo © Brooke Lark | Unsplash).

[4] Syrah is a match with America’s favorite pizza, pepperoni (photo © Jordan Nix | Unsplash).

[5] Pour a glass with grilled or roasted meat and poultry (photo © Organic Beef Company | Facebook).

[6] For dessert, pair Syrah with a cheese course of bold cheeses. Or, go for chocolate truffles or a dark chocolate cake.

[7] Earthy mushroom dishes pair beautifully with Syrah (photo © Huso Restaurant | NYC).

[8] Syrah is a winner with all forms of beef, from filet mignon to burgers and barbecue (photo © Koloa Rum).

[9] Syrah grapes (photo © Liketoy Zab).

*The indigenous grape varieties that grow in the region—Grenache, Mourvèdre, Roussanne, Syrah, and Viognier are the main ones—are often referred to as Rhône grapes.

†Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is a French agricultural term referring to the unique set of environmental factors in a specific habitat that affects a crop’s qualities. These include climate, elevation, proximity to a body of water, slant of the land, soil type, and amount of sun. These environmental characteristics give the wines produced from these grapes a unique character.

‡Free Run Cellars and Tabor Hill make excellent Syrah, in very different styles. The Tabor Hill 2018 was the richer and fuller of the two, but the Free Run Cellars 2018 Syrah was the more balanced, delicious, and ultimately preferred. Both are worth seeking out. They average around $27.

‡‡Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape varietal. In an effort to differentiate their wines from the French style of Syrah, Australian winemakers have called their wines Shiraz. Historically, the name Shiraz refers to the wine produced around the city of Shiraz in Persia (modern Iran). By the 9th century, the city of Shiraz had already established a reputation for producing the finest wine in the world. But modern Shiraz has no connection to that wine. In modern Iran, wine cannot be produced legally due to the prohibition of alcohol in Islam. Before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, there were up to 300 wineries in Iran; now there are none [source].
 

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