Know your Napa Cabbage

Know your Napa Cabbage - Introduction

- Napa cabbage, brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis is a type of Chinese cabbage originates near the Beijing region of China, and is widely used in East Asian cuisine.

- In much of the world, this is the vegetable referred to as "Chinese cabbage".
- It is also known as celery cabbage.
- It is also called akusay in some countries, and "Hakusai" in Japanese.
- Napa cabbage is lighter in colour than other Chinese cabbages such as pak choi, which is also sometimes called Chinese cabbage.

- In Korean cuisine, it is the main ingredient of baechu kimchi, the most common type of kimchi, but is also eaten raw as a wrap for pork or oysters, dipped in gochujang.
- The outer, tougher leaves are used in soups.
- Napa cabbage is widely used in China, Japan, and Korea. Because of immigrants from these nations, it is also readily found in many North American, European and Australian cities.
- The flavour has been described by some as delicate compared to pak choi or cabbage, and it can be used in stir-fry with other ingredients such as tofu, mushroom or zucchini.

- Napa cabbage is used as a sign of prosperity in China, and is often made into glass or porcelain figures.