Friday, February 12, 2010

Collard Greens

A staple of the South, and good for you, too.
Like kale, cauliflower and broccoli, collards are descendents of the wild cabbage, a plant thought to have been consumed as food since prehistoric times and to have originated in Asia Minor. From there it spread into Europe, being introduced by groups of Celtic wanderers around 600 B.C. Collards have been cultivated since the times of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. While collards may have been introduced into the United States before, the first mention of collard greens dates back to the late 17th century. Collards are an integral food in traditional southern American cuisine.
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2 comments:

Julygirl said...

I suspect it, along with okra, was introduced into Southern 'Cuisine" by African slaves.

Anonymous said...

I lived in New England for four years and the Midwest for five, and I missed Southern food as much as Southern accents and SEC football chatter.