Yes, There Is More Than One Type Of Kale...Isn't That Exciting?

Being involved in nutrition has everyone believing I am super food savvy. In some ways, this is true, but I do not know everything about all foods, that’s for sure. Case in point- cooking with kale. I always thought there was just one kale. One bitter, tough kale, that tastes best sautéed with olive oil and garlic or cooked in a steamer and covered with Braggs Liquid Amino Acids. Eating kale raw is something I have heard of, but never attempted to do at home. I have eaten raw kale salads at restaurants before, but I figured they had some magical sauce, or way of cooking that took the bitterness away that I would never figure out on my own.

Recently, a girlfriend of mine gave me a challenge to create one of her favorite kale salads from the restaurant True Food Kitchen, which has locations in Arizona and California. When I firt saw her post the recipe on my page, I shuddered at what kind of bitter, chewy concoction I would end up with. I did notice that the recipe did not call for just any type of kale. It asked for Black kale.

Wait…so the bag of pre-chopped green kale from Trader Joe’s is not good enough? Well, sure enough, that kale is called curly kale. Although pre chopped at Trader Joe’s, that particular kale, when bought whole, has ruffled leaves and a fibrous stalk and is a very deep green color. This kale has a very pungent flavor and bitter, peppery qualities that have always made me cringe at the thought of eating it raw.

Curly Kale

Ornamental kale is a more recently cultivated species that is oftentimes referred to as salad savoy. Its leaves may either be green, white, or purple and its stalks blend to form a loosely knit head. If you want to eat any of the ornamental kale varieties, just make sure that they have not been treated with pesticides or other harmful chemicals since they are raised for decoration rather than human consumption. Ornamental kale has a more tender texture and mellower flavor.

Ornamental Kale

There is also a Red kale, which I also saw at Whole Foods when I went on a search for this Black kale I never knew existed. Red Kale a type of Russian kale that is super high in vitamins K, A, and C and may even help prevent cancer. Unlike other members of the brassica family, such as green dinosaur kale and mustard greens, red kale's flavor is more sweet than bitter, and its leaves are more tender. Red kale can be eaten raw in salads or it can be steamed, boiled, or sautéed. Perhaps I could have used a red kale for this salad, but I picked the black because that is what the recipe called for.

 Red Kale

Black/Lacinato Kale

Immediately upon seeing the Black kale (also called Lacinato or Dinosaur), I knew there was something different about it. It was softer in texture, more lush and darker in color, like a dark blue/green color. When I got home and washed it, I pulled one of the leaves to taste and took note of the sweeter texture. I could definitely understand now how kale could be eaten raw, it just depends on the type of kale. Also, the dressing for this dish included olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, all which when added to the kale, tossed around and left to sit for about 5 minutes, did take a lot of the bitterness out of the salad.

Tuscan Black Kale Salad (recipe is at www.drweil.com)

So, the lesson is, experiment with food. You never know what delicious new healthy recipe you might be able to create. Also, you might learn a thing or two in the process!