One ingredient, four cultures: Cabbage

It is one of the oldest-known vegetables and remains a staple ingredient in kitchens around the world. From Irish colcannon to German sauerkraut, cabbage has always lent itself best to hearty food that comforts to the core.

Recipes

Ireland 

Colcannon 

This classic Irish dish of cabbage and potatoes, often eaten as a side, was traditionally made on All Saints Day, otherwise known as Halloween.

Germany 

Sauerkraut 

Meaning 'sour cabbage’ in German, this dish of fermented cabbage is commonly served as an accompaniment to sausages and to pork cuts, such as pork knuckle or leg. Sauerkraut results from the natural lactic acid fermentation of salted, shredded cabbage.

France 

Pork-stuffed cabbage (chou farci) 

This popular French dish can be baked in a round baking dish, or remoulded into its original shape as is the case with this recipe from Poitou in west-central France.

United States 

Coleslaw and southern fried chicken 

This salad of shredded cabbage, known simply as 'slaw’ in many parts of the United States, is of Dutch origin. The word coleslaw comes from the word koolsla, a conjunction of kool (cabbage) and sla, a shortened version of salade (salad).

Photography by John Laurie