Supermarket Waitrose has predicted that while kale is set to be the media darling of the vegetable world for a while yet, Cavolo nero, or Black Cabbage, is the ‘new green star of 2015.’
The chain says sales of the leafy brassica have grown almost three and a half times recently after it was highlighted by fashionable food writers and bloggers such as Deliciously Ella and Hemsley & Hemsley. Tuscan Kale as it is sometimes known is a traditional ingredient in Italian cooking, but British chefs are coming up with more ways of using it, while production is being supported by companies such as Tozer, Elsoms and Produce World.
Patrick Keane, Waitrose buyer, commented, “Generations of Italians have enjoyed Cavolo Nero as a versatile, nutritious and tasty vegetable and I’m delighted to see our shoppers joining in. Sales of this delicious green have continued to increase throughout this year and this is something we can only see continuing into 2015.”
The supermarket also reported strong sales of spring greens and spinach compared with last year.