346

KITCHEN VEGETABLES.

It might, indeed, be attended with much unprofitablelabour to attempt to trace out the cabbage genus of theancients. There appears, however, to be one species nowrecognised, as well known to antiquity, i. e. the colewort, fa-mous for its presumed nutritive qualities, yielding muchmilk to nurses and women bearing children : see Potter'sGreece , article child-bearing; although we do not know itis now so appreciated. The ancients had also a species ofcabbage, the leaves of which, if eaten, they allege wouldprevent intoxication; this species appears unknown inmodern times. They chopped it, and eat it raw likesalad. It has been also surmised, that the ancients werenot acquainted with our cabbage, yet there are many sortseaten raw with us after pickling ; a species, called by Plinylacuturris, has been considered by Ruellius, and notimprobably, it appears, that this was that species: seeCollumella, x. 138. Plin. xix. 8. sect. 41. No mention ofred-cabbage appears among ancient authors.

It does not appear that the ancients knew the art of thepresent Germans , in causing the vinous fermentation totake place in vegetables, for the purpose of manufactur-ing what they call sour kraut; though it certainly does ap-pear they knew how to prepare turnips to answer the samepurpose, and it is said in the same manner the Germans exercise their art in the production of sour cabbage. Sourkraut has been considered by the Germans as an inventionof their neighbours the Saxons ; they have said it was firstmade in Lower Saxony ; this would still have been believedhad not Bellon, in his Observat. Iliner. iii. 27, p. 186,assured the former people that he found it in Turkey ; theinhabitants of which are accustomed to pickle it for theirwinter food. It appears, that this people take the wholeheads, as in Germany , but particularly in Upper more thanLower Saxony ; some preserve kutnskohl, a name, which aswell as compost, and the French compote, Frisch deriveswith great probability from compositum, preserved.

The ancients are supposed to have been acquainted withcurled cabbage, and even with some of those kinds whichwe call broccoli. Under this term is understood all thosespecies, the numerous young flowery heads of which, par-ticularly in spring and autumn, can be used like cauliflowers.Such \oung shoots are called cymce, but not turiones; forthe latter term denotes the first shoots that arise, like thosesprouts of hops, asparagus, and other esculent plants. Thebroccoli used at present, was, however, brought from Italy toFrance , together with the name, about the end of the six-teenth century.