1 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,239 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to food Stuff. I'm Annie Reeves and 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren vocal Bomb, and today we're tackling kale. Yes 3 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: and a disclaimer or at the front. Kale is uh 4 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: one of my favorite foods and I eat it every 5 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: week at least. Oh wow, I eat it frequently. I 6 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: don't make a point of eating it every week, but 7 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: it's certainly some kind of of tough, leafy green vegetable. 8 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: Collards are also popular in my house. Turn up greens, 9 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: I love turn up greens and mustard greens, which are 10 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: all which are all related. They are. Oh and a 11 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: quick note too, there is um food stuff for those 12 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: of you don't know. We used to have like an 13 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: earlier version where we were trying to get this going 14 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,559 Speaker 1: and we had a video series. And there is a 15 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: food Stuff video starring Kristen Conger of Unladylike Now and 16 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: um Ben Bowlen work produced by Annie, produced by Annie. Yeah, 17 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: and it has a cameo by Barbie and doctor Kale. Anyway, 18 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: it was about kale and it was excellent. Um oh yeah, yeah, 19 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: please please do. That's not just Annie saying it because 20 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: she worked on it. It was really beautiful. Kristen and 21 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: Ben were doing really good work and and Annie as well. 22 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 1: So so go check that out. We'll see if we 23 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: can post it on Facebook. Yeah, it's on YouTube. And 24 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: also a fun note about it is, um, I went 25 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: through this whole thing for a while. I was producing video. 26 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: That was my job, and I was determined that every 27 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: video be have captions. Yeah yeah, and to do that 28 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: on YouTube, you have to you play the video and 29 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 1: then you type it in and while you're typing, which 30 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: is fine, but it's obviously very orious. Yeah. So but 31 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: there is a feature, um for YouTube to do it automatically. 32 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: So I tested it on the Kale video and it 33 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: translated Kale is okaine. Oh god, the whole video. That 34 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: is certainly a different episode. It's like, I love cocaine. 35 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: I've got to get more cocaine. Cocaine at least once 36 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: a week. It's like the beginning of the video has 37 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: been showing up with the backpack and he's like, I 38 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: bought the cocaine. It's really good. I mean, I thought 39 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: it was hilarious, but clearly I could not trust YouTube's 40 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: auto transcribe. Yeah. Well anyway, yeah, so so if you 41 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: do check out the video, then keep that in mind. 42 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: Keep that in mind, um, But let's let's tackle our 43 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: first question. We always tackle what is it? Kale? Yes? 44 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 1: What is kale? It's a leafy green. It's a member 45 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: of the barasca alaricia, a species whose cultivars include cabbages 46 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: and broccoli and cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Kale is a 47 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: whole group of cultivars called Acephala, of which collard greens 48 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: are also a member. But culturally speaking, we're going to 49 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: have to do a whole other episode on collards or 50 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: like food culturally, not horticulturally anyway. Kale leaves are commonly 51 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: deep green or purple or a little bit of both, 52 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: and sort of ruffled or dimpled, and they grow loose 53 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: off of kale stocks rather than like in a head 54 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: like many cabbages tend to do. Botanists think that kales 55 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,519 Speaker 1: are closer to brass calls wild cabbage roots that other 56 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: cultivars because of this, and they're so easy to garden, like, 57 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: they don't need to be heavily developed as some of 58 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: these other things have had to had done to them. 59 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: Yea and passed yes, And actually that is kind of 60 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: important to kale's whole history which you will be talking about. 61 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, um. In general, if you have not had kale, 62 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: or if you need a reminder, perhaps the flavor profile 63 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: of kale is sort of green, grassy, peppery, bitter, sweet, pungent, 64 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: and it tends to be sturdier and less tender than 65 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: lettuces and even many cabbages. But there are so many 66 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: kinds of k lee, yes, and depending on how you 67 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: cook the different kinds, it can be crisp, sort of chewy, 68 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: sort of tender, or even sort of silky, with varying 69 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: ratios of bitter to sweet. Involved. I have a friend 70 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: and she she likes to fight me about my love 71 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: of kale. Okay, She's convinced I'm just on some kind 72 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: of trend and I'm not seeing things clearly. She's always 73 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: one of her arguments, as always, you could just eat romane. 74 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: It's totally I can't where you're not connecting in this argument. 75 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,160 Speaker 1: It's just missing each other. Yeah, she always does that 76 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 1: every time. Okay, you can't cook romane. Lettuce at is 77 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: completely different they do. Okay, I feel like I'm having 78 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,479 Speaker 1: the art, like the emotion is rising as I'm thinking 79 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: about it. Um. When it comes to variety. Kale does 80 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,280 Speaker 1: have you covered with over fifty types, so like, yeah, 81 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: there's a kale for that. You've got classic curly kale, 82 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: great for cooking or even raw if you rub it 83 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: down with some salt and citrus juice. Dinosaur kale, which 84 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: is more tender and good for pretty much everything. Red Russian, 85 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:12,920 Speaker 1: which is sweet and tender and good for salads. Siberian, 86 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: which is perfect for saute. In addition to purples and greens, 87 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: kale comes in reds, whites, and pinks. There are varieties 88 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: used more for ornamentation than for food, but which are 89 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 1: still edible, like salad savoy, which grows these brosettes of 90 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: pink or white leaves. And red bore, which goes stunningly 91 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,840 Speaker 1: violet in cool weather, like like you're turning violet, violet, violet. 92 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:42,040 Speaker 1: That's the colors. How that works, I don't remember anymore. 93 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,720 Speaker 1: I'm not sure. Um. Sinosaur kale is my favorite kale 94 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:47,040 Speaker 1: by the way, but I haven't tried a lot of these, 95 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: so there's a whole kale world over. Yeah. I do 96 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: love a dinosaur kale as well, partially because it's called 97 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: dinosaur k and it just makes me happy. Uh, And Okay, y'all, 98 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: I have a huge problem with the term sue for food. Yeah. 99 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: Usually it's just marketing, some kind of like wu involved 100 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: promised false promise that this one weird food will fix 101 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:14,159 Speaker 1: all your problems. And that's not how food works. No, 102 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 1: it's not how your body works. However, it is true. 103 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: Kale is pretty good for you. It's nutrient dense. One 104 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: cup contains more than you recommended daily values of vitamin C, 105 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 1: A and K, plus a whole bunch of others and 106 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: a lot of minerals like calcium and iron. It carries 107 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 1: a little bit of oils that are the good fats 108 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,000 Speaker 1: of Mega three's and about two to three grams of protein. 109 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: It's carbs are complex and fibery. It won't spike your 110 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,280 Speaker 1: blood sugar, so if you're trying to fill yourself up 111 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,119 Speaker 1: without resorting to starches and for cheap, kale is great, 112 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,279 Speaker 1: especially for folks who don't eat meat. Please do note 113 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 1: that this all depends on how you're cooking your can 114 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: uh Like, really oil heavy things like kale chips, although delicious, 115 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: do carry a heavy caloric load from all that fat 116 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: and should still be considered treats. I mean, like, yes, 117 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: they're better than French fries, but they're not better than 118 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 1: steaming or brazen or sautang your kale. Right, and as always, friends, 119 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 1: be aware of claims that a food will cure cancer, 120 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: prevent heart disease, or anything huge like that, because our 121 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: bodies are complicated. Uh. And preliminary studies have indicated that 122 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:32,160 Speaker 1: eating kale could help lower your cholesterol and your risk 123 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: for cataracts and some cancers, but it can also interfere 124 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 1: with blood thinning medications and cause clots. So don't treat 125 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: it like a medicine without supervision from a doctor. You know. 126 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: If you like it incorporated into your overall diet, yeah, yeah, 127 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: but don't don't freak out about it. Speaking of freak outs, yes, yes. 128 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: As of retail, sales of kale in the United States 129 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 1: were worth more than a hundred and sixty five million 130 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: dollars and accounted for zero point three percent of all 131 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: produced sales, which sounds small, but is it pretty substantial? 132 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: Substantial for a single item. It is um And we've 133 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: got to talk about peak kale. Oh goodness, yes, we do. Yes. 134 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: Kale exploded with popularity in the two thousand's. It went 135 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: from the sad wilted garnish to the it from two 136 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 1: thousand eight, restaurant menus with some sort of kale item 137 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: item on them increased by four hundred percent. What Yeah. 138 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: Bonapa tea magazine named the Year of cal Kale, gets 139 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: its own National Kale Day annually on October twond It 140 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:53,840 Speaker 1: kind of became this symbol of hipsters of a healthy 141 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: and eco friendly living. There is a legal battle ongoing 142 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 1: with the creator of those eat more Kale shirts and 143 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: chick fil a Oh oh, eat more chicken, eat more kale. 144 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:10,199 Speaker 1: I see you slash was the height of peak kale, 145 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,679 Speaker 1: fueled in part by a shortage in New York City 146 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: due to a blizzard. Yeah, and this, uh, this and 147 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: a lot of things remind me of cauliflower in our 148 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: cauliflower episode. Um. Cauliflower also experienced a huge pump when 149 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: there was a shortage in New York City specifically, so 150 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 1: it must be a thing. Yeah. With all of this 151 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:32,320 Speaker 1: trending and rise of popularity has come a sea of 152 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 1: kale products, some strangers than others and some non food ones. Okay, 153 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,600 Speaker 1: kale chips, kale salads, kale smoothies, kale beauty products, gold 154 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: dipped kale necklaces, what kale cocktails, kale brownies, kale dips 155 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: for your kale chips, kale ice cream, kale soda, kale 156 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: themed restaurants, shirts with kale puns, kale everywhere. The trend 157 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: raised the demand for kale, and therefore the price of 158 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 1: kale has risen um it rose for example between and 159 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 1: since kale is fairly inexpensive to start with, that's really 160 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: only a two cents per bunch increase eighty eight cents 161 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 1: to a buck ten. But it's certainly enough to make 162 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 1: kale less accessible to the people who were using it 163 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: for sustenance before the trend happened, especially low income families, 164 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:27,959 Speaker 1: and occasional local shortages have doubled prices from time to time, 165 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:30,559 Speaker 1: as and he was saying about New York stuff like that, 166 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 1: and and this kind of falls in line with my 167 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:37,160 Speaker 1: problem of labeling things super foods and has raised criticism 168 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,120 Speaker 1: also from people who are not me. Yes um and 169 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: oh man, I want to do a whole episode on 170 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: food trends and super foods and etcetera. Yeah, I'm giving 171 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:51,440 Speaker 1: I'm giving us more homework now. It's official, okay, perfect, 172 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,240 Speaker 1: I will say not to sound too hipster about it. 173 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:57,760 Speaker 1: I was ahead of the trend. I see something in 174 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 1: the grocery store, and I go to a very basic 175 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: grocery stores. I'm not going anywhere exciting. Um. If I 176 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:07,840 Speaker 1: see something I have never eaten before, I get it. 177 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:09,600 Speaker 1: You want to try to figure out how to be 178 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: totally which is always fun because usually when I check out, 179 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: they don't know what it is either. Yea. And that's 180 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 1: how I discovered kale is. I remember seeing it in 181 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,320 Speaker 1: store and thinking, what we never had that when I 182 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:28,080 Speaker 1: was growing up, and the rest sister the kale explosion. 183 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: This explosion of kale popularity was fairly unique to the US. 184 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 1: Other countries we're on the kale train long before us. 185 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:40,839 Speaker 1: In Germany, there's a celebration centered entirely around eating cooked kale. 186 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: I love that. That's so great. Germany get it. In Scotland, 187 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 1: to kale has long been a staple, and important enough 188 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:51,199 Speaker 1: one that in the local dialect the word kale translates 189 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 1: to food and if you are off your kale you 190 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: might be sick. Yeah, which brings this to the question 191 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:02,200 Speaker 1: I have always wondered personally, why was kale virtually non 192 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: existent in the us until the two thousands. At least 193 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:08,880 Speaker 1: I never ran across it before then. I don't think 194 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:13,200 Speaker 1: I did either. Yes, well, we have the answer and more, 195 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: but first a quick break for a word from our 196 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:30,079 Speaker 1: sponsor and we're back. Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. Okay. 197 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 1: Because kale is so easy to grow and a true 198 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: vegetable survivor, hanging on through harsh conditions and cold temperatures, 199 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 1: it was probably one of the first vegetables humans cultivated. Yes, 200 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,600 Speaker 1: probably because we don't know for sure. This hardiness, like 201 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: we alluded to earlier, would later lead to a massive 202 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: kale slump. But more on this later in the podcast. 203 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, Asia minor is most likely where kale got 204 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:07,600 Speaker 1: its start when good question. We know it arrived in 205 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: Europe thanks to groups of Celtic wanderers by six BC. 206 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,319 Speaker 1: The history suffers from what we hear at food stuff 207 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,559 Speaker 1: called colleige flower syndrome. No, we don't, but we should. 208 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 1: That is to say, the word kale comes from the 209 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 1: Scottish word coals or callists, which the Greeks and Romans 210 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 1: used to refer to all the cabbage like plants such 211 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 1: as cauliflower, collards and cabbage upping the confusion. Ancient Roman 212 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: manuscripts might have used the word brassica to mean all 213 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:40,320 Speaker 1: of those things too. Records indicate that the ancient Greeks 214 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,400 Speaker 1: would boil down kale and other leafy vegetables to eat 215 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: as a way to cure drunkenness. Yeah that that'll I mean, 216 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:52,680 Speaker 1: it'll give you some nutrients. Yeah, fans on how drunk 217 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: you are supposed But discarieties wrote in the first century 218 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 1: that kale was excellent for the bowel. Yeah, yeah, um. 219 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: The Romans brought it to France and Britain, if it 220 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 1: wasn't there already under the same coal wart or coal 221 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:11,800 Speaker 1: umbrella as cauliflower was under, if you remember from our 222 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: cauliflower episode. Kale was common throughout Europe and Asia by 223 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: the Middle Ages, and all kinds of varieties of it too. 224 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: The Middle Ages was when the English or Scottish started 225 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:25,240 Speaker 1: using the word kale to mean dinner. It was that 226 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: frequent at European meals, and Asia kale was less popular 227 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 1: when compared to other vegetables in the Cabot family, but 228 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: it was eaten there. The colonists bought kale with them 229 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 1: to North America in the sixteenth century, but they weren't 230 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 1: as excited about it as their European brethren. The first 231 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: time kale was mentioned in writing was in sixteen sixty 232 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:48,720 Speaker 1: nine in North America, though they were most almost certainly 233 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: um kale was almost certainly around before then. Around the 234 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:55,280 Speaker 1: same time, Russian traders brought Russian kale to Canada, where 235 00:14:55,320 --> 00:15:00,240 Speaker 1: it's spread into the US. Thomas Jefferson uh huh. The 236 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: Italian dinosaur kale also called Tuscan or Lessonado kale into 237 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: his in his garden in much Cillo. Kale hummed along 238 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: until World War Two, when it was included in the 239 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 1: U k's Dig Victory a campaign Dig Victory Yeah. This 240 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: was a campaign by the UK government to encourage gardeners 241 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:26,680 Speaker 1: to grow certain things relevant to this episode kale. Because 242 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: of that heartiness we mentioned, kale was often grown and 243 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 1: eaten during tough times, whether on national levels or on 244 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: a personal level for those struggling with poverty, and this 245 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 1: meant that after World War Two, folks were pretty tired 246 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: of kale. And on top of that, it had an 247 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: association with poor people, not just in the US either 248 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: in European countries. It was associated with the hunger and 249 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 1: deprivation of World War Two and it never really fully recovered. Yeah. 250 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: In France today, to the state, it's still just like 251 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:57,720 Speaker 1: why would you eat that? Yeah? Why are Americans so 252 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: excited about kale? Yeah, it's of an eye roll situation. Um, yeah, 253 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 1: not true. In the US, it took some time though. 254 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: It was relegated to garnish for a long time. You 255 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 1: might be surprised how long. The l A Times published 256 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 1: a poem sent in by a reader about kale in 257 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: n It was called in Praise of Kale, and the 258 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 1: author perhaps foresaw the coming meteoric rise of the vegetable, 259 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: although it would take more than a decade and a 260 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 1: lot of celebrity. Juice juice? Is that a pen for 261 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: choicing juice? Yes? Thank you? According to a Blue Apron blog, 262 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,040 Speaker 1: when kale appeared in some C. S A Boxes in 263 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: two thousand seven, which is basically when you get boxes 264 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: of like locally grown vegetable produced can it can include 265 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 1: meat and eggs and stuff. But you know, yeah, I 266 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 1: was part of one for a while and I loved it. Um. 267 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: People didn't know what the kale was in these boxes was, 268 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: or well what the kale was? I like, what the kale, yeah, 269 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 1: or what to do with it? That people were posting online? 270 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: What is this thing? How do I cook it? Um? 271 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 1: The following year, A Whole Living gave kale that elusive 272 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: title of super food. In two thousand nine, Martha Stewart 273 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: published a kale slaw recipe. The Vegetarian Times published a 274 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 1: recipe for something very similar to kale chips in two 275 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,240 Speaker 1: thous and that same year, The New York Times published 276 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:31,159 Speaker 1: a recipe for a kale salad. And this brings us 277 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:36,120 Speaker 1: to the big one, kales big break. In two thousand eleven, 278 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: Gwyneth Paltrow made kale chips on Ellen and history was made. 279 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: The first thing is the kale chips, which I just 280 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 1: wanted to show you their takes so it's so quick 281 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: and kids, they turned into like potato chips, but their kale, 282 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: and your kids will eat them and you will be 283 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:59,719 Speaker 1: so psyched. It's very silly. It is, I mean, quite silly, delicious, 284 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 1: were useful, inexpensive, silly, silly, quite silly. The trend is silly, 285 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:16,720 Speaker 1: not kale, and kale is relatively neutral. We weren't insulting kale, 286 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: not not not today anyway, And we we have a 287 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,640 Speaker 1: few science notes for you. But first we have one 288 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: more quick break for a word from our sponsor, and 289 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 1: we're back. Thank you, sponsor, Yes, thank you. So there 290 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: is some science behind getting the most out of kale 291 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:48,800 Speaker 1: in your cooking. It's one of those vegetables that will 292 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 1: undergo some chemistry in your mouth if you let it. 293 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:56,880 Speaker 1: Part of kale's characteristic bitter, sweet, and and pungent flavor 294 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:01,879 Speaker 1: comes from these sulfur compounds called is a thiocyanates that 295 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,600 Speaker 1: do not exist in kale leaves when they're just hanging 296 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:08,160 Speaker 1: out mind in their own kale business. It's formed when 297 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:13,160 Speaker 1: you chop, chew or massage kale. And yes, kale massaging 298 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:15,520 Speaker 1: is a part of many recipes. It's that rubbing with 299 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:20,200 Speaker 1: salt and citrus juice thing I often don't do. But yeah, yeah, 300 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 1: So when you when you chop or cheo or a massage, 301 00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: you disrupt the structure of kales cell walls and let 302 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:32,480 Speaker 1: these two disparate compounds form up into those isothiocyanates. Um 303 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 1: that the two compounds being an enzyme and some some 304 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: sulfuric compounds. If you blanch kale leaves whole or even 305 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,199 Speaker 1: to soak them in hot water, you will deactivate some 306 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:47,040 Speaker 1: of that enzyme that's involved, so less of the isothiocyanates 307 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 1: will form and your kale will be less bitter. So 308 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 1: if you're not looking for that for that better kick, 309 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:56,200 Speaker 1: then then do that that blanching or that hot water soak. 310 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: But but if if you like it, then don't don't 311 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: do as you will. Do as you will. Yeah, shall 312 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:07,640 Speaker 1: be the whole of the kale law. And if you're 313 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: if you're dealing with the type of kale that calls 314 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: for being massaged in order to make it tender enough 315 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 1: to eat raw, but you still want it to be 316 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,399 Speaker 1: on the mild or sweet end instead of bitter. Sprints 317 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 1: it after you chop it. As simple as that, yeah, 318 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: um oh. And hey, if you're wondering why kale and 319 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 1: other leafy greens shrink so much when you cook them, 320 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:32,920 Speaker 1: or or wilt when you leave him out on the counter, 321 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:37,399 Speaker 1: that's because of a loss of water in the plants cells. 322 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 1: When leafy vegetables are growing or kept in water or 323 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: kept cool enough, water will fill the plant cells and 324 00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 1: the pressure inside will keep each cell taut. But when 325 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 1: you cook greens, the cell walls break in the moisture 326 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: escapes and on the counter it will eventually evaporate out. No, 327 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:02,360 Speaker 1: that's why if you're looking for really crisp vegetable you can. 328 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 1: You can stick it in like a vase of water, 329 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,720 Speaker 1: as you would cut flowers before you serve it. Stick 330 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 1: it in the fridge and the base of water. It'll 331 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:15,399 Speaker 1: it'll crisp bread up. I'll keep them my little kale 332 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:19,240 Speaker 1: laws and shout out to the excellent book Cooks Science 333 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,120 Speaker 1: from the folks that Cooks Illustrated for some of those 334 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: science notes they do. They do really good stuff. I 335 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:29,200 Speaker 1: like them. I wish I had rewatched the kale video 336 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:31,760 Speaker 1: we made before doing this, because I remember there's a 337 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:34,679 Speaker 1: note in there about how if you something, if you 338 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: cook kale with fat um, it helps your body the 339 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:43,320 Speaker 1: nutrients better. And so Christen and Ben's recommendation was to 340 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: cook it with bacon. Oh, clearly, I mean that's that's 341 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:49,320 Speaker 1: how we cook. That's how we cook kale in my house. 342 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: We like sautaste and bacon and then use some of 343 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: the bacon fat to just put the kale right on 344 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 1: top of Yeah, cook it down. My goodness, I'm hungry, Oh, 345 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:03,600 Speaker 1: my goodness. Add some mushrooms in there too, so delicious. 346 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: You've got to stop, Lauren. Okay, I think we need 347 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: to end this episode now, um and go go make 348 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: some kale okay, which brings us to listen. I love 349 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 1: I love this improv thing that we do. Okay, it 350 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:28,400 Speaker 1: can go so many ways, really can. There's a lot 351 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: of body language involved. What's gonna happen? Who knows? How 352 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 1: many ways can we say? Listen meal we will discovery? Yes, 353 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: Samantha wrote, I was listening to your delivery podcast the 354 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: other day, grinning the whole way through it as I 355 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 1: thought of the most unusual delivery order I've ever placed. 356 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:52,600 Speaker 1: Picture it Louisville, Kentucky, three days before the derby. My 357 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,520 Speaker 1: club rides our horses in the parade every year, and 358 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: we stay out at the fairgrounds in downtown Louisville, since 359 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 1: not one of us is from the any proper. It 360 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 1: had been a long day of riding and washing and 361 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:07,679 Speaker 1: grooming horses, and of course visiting distilleries on the Bourbon Trail. 362 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 1: So there's between fifteen and twenty women arranging from teenage 363 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 1: two retired, starving, and we aren't inflicting ourselves on any 364 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: poor weight staff. So what are hungry horsewomen to do? Pizza? 365 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,200 Speaker 1: We ordered a lot of pizza without half a high 366 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,359 Speaker 1: per person and paid over the phone. We thought we 367 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 1: gave good directions to the barns, but alas we were wrong. 368 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 1: I was up on my sturdy gelding, and when in 369 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 1: search of the wayward little Caesar's driver, I found him, 370 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 1: and while giving instructions on where to go, my overly 371 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,880 Speaker 1: friendly lumps of a horse stuck his entire sizeable head 372 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: into the driver's window in his lap. Oak was just 373 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: looking for treats and didn't do anything malicious, but man, 374 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 1: he certainly shook the driver up. I got Oak's head 375 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:58,119 Speaker 1: back out, helps care of the pizza, and tipped the 376 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,200 Speaker 1: driver very very well, Mr driver, wherever you are. I'm 377 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:06,480 Speaker 1: still so sorry he's scared you. That's a great story, 378 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:10,480 Speaker 1: that is I I'm a little bit freaked out by horses, 379 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:13,840 Speaker 1: and I just because most of their sense of humor 380 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:22,959 Speaker 1: seems to involve humans getting mildly injured, so that horses 381 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: are much bigger than we are. I would have been 382 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:28,119 Speaker 1: very startled if that was me. But that is a 383 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,520 Speaker 1: wonderful story. Yes, and at the very least he got 384 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:32,800 Speaker 1: a good tip and a good story out of it. Yes, 385 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: Diana wrote the history of pepper trading reminded me of 386 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:41,520 Speaker 1: a Hans Christian Anderson story I read in my childhood 387 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:45,359 Speaker 1: called The Old Bachelor's Nightcap. The story talked about the 388 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,960 Speaker 1: German owned beer and spice shops in Copenhagen during or 389 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:52,920 Speaker 1: before Anderson's time. These shops were owned by German merchants 390 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: who sent their clerks to Denmark to manage the shops. 391 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,879 Speaker 1: As pepper was the most predominant spice being sold in 392 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: those shops, these clerks came to be known as pebber's 393 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,199 Speaker 1: fend or pepper sellers. Before leaving Germany, they had to 394 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:10,160 Speaker 1: sign a contract which prohibited them to marry in Denmark. Eventually, 395 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:14,040 Speaker 1: the word pepper's fend became synonymous with bachelor, and it 396 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 1: still has this meaning today. I'm not Danish and I 397 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:20,280 Speaker 1: have no idea if this is historically correct or how 398 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:23,120 Speaker 1: widely this word is used. All the knowledge I have 399 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 1: are from Hans Christian Anderson and Google. Still I find 400 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: it fascinating, even if it's just a story. By the way, 401 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:32,200 Speaker 1: the Old Bachelor's Nightcap is a deeply tragic and hauntingly 402 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:34,920 Speaker 1: beautiful story, and I highly recommend it. It had left 403 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,040 Speaker 1: such a deep impression in me that to this day 404 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:41,679 Speaker 1: I remember the tidbit about Pepper's fend. Yeah, I'll have 405 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:43,879 Speaker 1: to look that up. I have one of them. I 406 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 1: have the Book of Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson, 407 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,919 Speaker 1: and it's beautiful and huge, and I haven't read all 408 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 1: of them, so I wonder if it's in there. Yeah. 409 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,119 Speaker 1: I have a few compendiums of his work, but he 410 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: wrote a lot. There's a bunch I have not gotten 411 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,119 Speaker 1: through all of them, Yes, but out that I know, Yeah, 412 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 1: I'm definitely um interested to read that. Oh and that's 413 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:07,959 Speaker 1: that's got to be in the in the public works 414 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:09,920 Speaker 1: by now. Oh yeah, we could. We could do a 415 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 1: little food stuff story our Oh we good. I'm really 416 00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:17,359 Speaker 1: excited by that idea if you and Dylan is nodding, 417 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 1: So I think we're on. If you guys know of 418 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: any other stories like like especially that are in the 419 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: public domain at this point, always helpful right in and 420 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,800 Speaker 1: let us know. Yeah, we'll do a little dramatic food 421 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 1: stuff reading. Yes, yes, um, So if you have any 422 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:37,399 Speaker 1: anything like that or anything else you'd like to send us, 423 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:40,159 Speaker 1: you can do so. Our email is food Stuff at 424 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. We're also on social media. 425 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 1: You can find us on Instagram at food stuff and 426 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,520 Speaker 1: on Twitter and Facebook at food stuff hs W. I 427 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 1: just waved myself out a little bit by switching those 428 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 1: two things around. I usually do them in the opposite order. 429 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: We we hope to hear from you. Thank you so 430 00:26:56,160 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: much to the aforementioned Dylan Fagin. Yes he's terriff accused 431 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: our producer. Thanks to you for listening, and we hope 432 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 1: that lots more good things are coming your way.