by Carolyn McDonald Graf
Cabbage
Cabbage is one of those vegetables that is so common all over the world that it is difficult to pinpoint a place of origin. Because it has been around so long, it has evolved into many varieties with different shapes, colors, and other attributes. Domestication of cabbage more than likely occurred somewhere in Europe before 1000 BC. Some of the earliest descriptions of cabbage served as food come from the ancient Greeks and Romans, who believed it was also good for relief from gout, headaches, and symptoms of mushroom poisoning. By the Middle Ages, cabbages appeared in manuscript illuminations as a large part of European cuisine. Cabbage had become a common food by the 17th and 18th centuries over much of central, northern, and eastern Europe.
Shetland Cabbage, sometimes called Shetland cawel or kale, is a landrace of unknown origin. A landrace is a domesticated plant or animal that has become adapted to the climate and culture of its environment and isolated from other populations of the species. Unlike other varieties of kale, Shetland kale, adapting to the cool climate, forms a ball or “head.”
No one knows how long Shetland cabbage have been grown on the islands, but there is documentation from the 17th century of cabbage being eaten as a vegetable. It later became an important crop of winter feed for sheep and cattle.
Cabbages were often grown in a CRÖ. A CRÖ was a small, circular, stone wall enclosure to protect growing cabbages from wandering sheep and rabbits. Many of these can still be seen abandoned or put to other use. CRÖ is also the subject of a famous poem in the Shetland dialect “Auld Munsie’s CRÖ” by Basil R. Anderson.
Oot-ower apon a weel-kent hill,
Whase watters rise ta grinnd a mill,
Auld Maunsie biggit him a crö,
Ta growe him kale for mutton brö –
Fir Maunsie never tocht him hale,
Withoot sheeps’ shanks an cogs o kale
For the full poem with translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBY0at1aKNw
[Editor’s note: There was a style of fiction writing in Scotland from 1880-1914 in which its main characteristics were an idealized portrayal of Scottish rural life with the use of colloquial language trying to imitate the speech of the rural people. There were many writers in this style with one being J.M Barrie, author of Peter Pan. The style of writing was the “Kaleyard School.”]
Here’s a recipe for the very traditional Scottish dish Rumbledethumps:
Rumbledethumps
Potatoes and Cabbage
The name comes from the Scot’s words “rumbled,” meaning mashed, and “thumped,” meaning beaten down. A warm dish for the chilly nights of early spring.
1 pound mealy potatoes
½ stick butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 pound cabbage finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Milk to mix
Salt and pepper
1 cup mature Scottish cheddar grated
Peel the potatoes and cut into pieces. Put in a pot of boiling water and simmer until soft. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onion and cabbage until just tender. Drain the potatoes and add to the cabbage and onions. Add the chives. Mash well together, mixing in a little milk if too stiff. Season and place in an oven proof serving dish. Cover with grated cheese, brown under the broiler, and serve. To make this a main course add small pieces of meat or fish. I added leftover ham.
Broths to Bannocks, Cooking in Scotland 1690 to the present day, Catherine Brown, John Murray Ltd. London, 1990.
