Napa cabbage

"Hakusai" redirects here. For the Japanese artist, see Hokusai.

Napa cabbage
Some napa cabbages
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	大白菜
Simplified Chinese	大白菜
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin dà bái cài Min - Hokkien POJ bae cai Wu - Romanization wang nga tsae(黃芽菜) Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping bok choy
Cantonese
Chinese	黃芽白
Transcriptions Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping wong4 ngaa4 baak6
Korean name
Hangul	배추
Transcriptions - Revised Romanization Baechu - McCune- Reischauer Paech'u

Chinese cabbage, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	68 kJ (16 kcal)
Carbohydrates	3.2 g
- Dietary fiber	1.2 g
Fat	0.2 g
Protein	1.2 g
Vitamin C	27 mg (33%)
Calcium	77 mg (8%)
Iron	0.31 mg (2%)
Magnesium	13 mg (4%)
Sodium	9 mg (1%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Napa cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis), also known as celery cabbage, is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China, and is widely used in East Asian cuisine.^[1] In much of the world, this is the vegetable referred to as "Chinese cabbage". Napa cabbage is lighter in color than other Chinese cabbages such as bok choy, which is also sometimes called Chinese cabbage. In the United Kingdom, this vegetable is known as "Chinese Leaf".

The name "napa" comes from colloquial and regional Japanese, where nappa (菜っ葉^?) refers to the leaves of any vegetable, especially when used as food.^[2] The Japanese name for this specific variety of cabbage is hakusai (白菜^?), lit. "white vegetable", a cognate of the Chinese name.

In Korean cuisine, it is the main ingredient of baechu kimchi, the most common type of kimchi, but is also eaten raw as a wrap for pork or oysters, dipped in gochujang. The outer, tougher leaves are used in soups.

Napa cabbage is widely used in China, Japan, and Korea. Because of immigrants from these nations, it is also readily found in many North American, European and Australian cities.

The flavor has been described by some as delicate compared to bok choy or cabbage, and it can be used in stir-fry with other ingredients such as tofu, mushroom or zucchini.

Napa cabbage is used as a sign of prosperity in China, and its image often appears as a symbol in glass and porcelain figures. The famous Jadeite Cabbage sculpture of Taiwan's National Palace Museum is a carving of a napa cabbage variety.

See also

• Chinese cabbage

External links

• "Kimchi Crisis Leaves South Koreans In A Pickle", NPR, October 6, 2010

References

1. ^ 네이버 백과사전
2. ^ "Oxford English Dictionary napa, n.2". http://oed.com. Retrieved 2010-10-14.