It is a hardy; cool-season vegetable belonging to the cabbage family and is related to Broccoli, Kale, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. It has a large edible bulb that looks like a turnip. However Kohlrabi is not a root vegetable, large bulb is actually part of stem not root system. It also tastes best when harvested while still young. Large, older kohlrabi is tough and woody and frequently has a bitter flavor.
| Name | Kohlrabi |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Brassica oleracea (Gongylodes Group) |
| Native | Northwestern Europe |
| Common/English Name | German cabbage, Kohlrabi, Knolknol, Stem Turnip, Cabbage Turnip, Turnip cabbage, Turnip- Stemmed Cabbage, Hungarian Turnip, Turnip Kale |
| Name in Other Languages | Japanese : Kyuukei Kanran Russian : Kol’rabi Austrian : Kohlrübe Chinese : Pie Lan Macedonian : Kelerába German : Kohlrabi Vietnamese : Su Hào Croatian : Keleraba Esperanto : Tigobrasiko Korean : Jul-Gi-Yang-Bae-Chu Catalan : Col-I-Nap Polish : Kalarepa Italian : Cavolo Rapa Portuguese : Couve Rábano Dutch : Koolrabi Volapük : Kaulabrasid French : Chou-Rave Hungarian : Karalábé Estonian : Koolrabi Slovenščina: Koleraba India : Olkabi Czech : Brukev Kedluben Afrikaans : Knolkool Jèrriais : Kohlrabi Spanish : Col Rábano Danish : Kålrabi Finnish : Kaalirapi Swedish : Kålrabbi Norwegian : Knutekål Romanian : Gulie Bulgarian : Kohlrabi Serbian : Keleraba Belarusian : Kalrabi |
| Plant Growth Habit | Erect, glabrous annual or biennial herb |
| Growing Climate | Cool season vegetable that prefers a sunny location |
| Soil | Well-drained, fertile soil rich in organic matter |
| Plant Size | 50 cm tall |
| Root | Pale greenish white, purple and strongly branched root system |
| Bulb Shape & Size | Un branched, highly shortened, swollen, sub globose to globose, fleshy corm or bulbo tuber-like stem up to 12 cm in diameter |
| Bulb Color | green, white or purple |
| Flesh Color | White |
| Bulb Flavor | Mild cabbage flavor or a very sweet turnip with celery or nutty overtones. |
| Bulb Taste | Tastes like a combination of mild turnip and sweet apple. |
| Leaf | Alternate, simple or with some small side lobes at base; exstipulate; all leaves with distinct, slender, terete petiole; blade ovate or oblong-elliptical in outline, 20–28 cm long by 14–16 cm wide, irregularly incised, blue green. |
| Flower | Bisexual, regular, 4-merous; pedicel up to 2 cm long; sepals oblong, about 1 cm long, erect; petals obovate, 1.5–2 cm long, clawed, pale to bright yellow or yellowish white; |
| Fruit | Linear or curved silique 5–10 cm long by 5 mm wide, with a tapering beak 5–15 mm long, dehiscent, containing up to 30 seeds. |
| Seed | Globose, 1.5–2 mm across, finely reticulate, dark brown. |
| Varieties/Types | Early White Vienna and Purple Vienna. |
| Major Nutrition | Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 83.7 mg (93.00%) Copper, Cu 0.174 mg (19.33%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.202 mg (15.54%) Total dietary Fiber 4.9 g (12.89%) Potassium, K 472 mg (10.04%) Phosphorus, P 62 mg (8.86%) Manganese, Mn 0.188 mg (8.17%) Iron, Fe 0.54 mg (6.75%) Carbohydrate 8.37 g (6.44%) Isoleucine 0.105 g (6.28%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1cup (100gm) | 36 Kcal |