Turnip Kobi (kabu)

The small, tender and sweet Japanese turnip, white or purple, grown in Lazio: it is eaten raw, leaves included

Crunchy like a radish, sweet like a pear, delicate like no other turnip: kabu is the vegetable that will make you change your mind about turnips.

Kobi Turnip: Authentic Flavor and Genuineness from the Lazio Garden

Forget the tough, pungent turnip of winter soups. Turnip Kobi, which the Japanese call kabu, is something else: a small, perfectly round root, the size of a golf ball or a little larger, with a smooth, thin skin that doesn't need peeling and very white, juicy, and crunchy flesh, with a sweet, slightly peppery flavor reminiscent of young radishes and pears. It comes in two flavors: Bianca like porcelain or violet The part that emerges from the ground, with the pulp remaining white; the flavor is the same, but the color changes on the table. And nothing is wasted: the leaves, tender and bright green, are considered the most prized part in Japan and are cooked like spinach. Our kabu grows in the gardens of Lazio, harvested young, when the root is at its most tender, and arrives in Rome within hours. It's eaten raw, thinly sliced ​​with a pinch of salt, pickled in brine in a few minutes, glazed in a pan, blended into silky soups: a small vegetable that opens a large kitchen.
 
 
 

The roots of this turnip are found in the seven spring herbs and the gardens of Kyoto.

In Japan, kabu is a vegetable with a thousand-year history and a place in the calendar. It is one of the seven herbs of the nanakusa-gayu, the rice porridge that is eaten on January 7th to wish for a healthy year, where it appears with its ancient name of suzuna, “the bell”, due to the shape of the root. Around Kyoto, the ancient capital, the vegetable gardens have selected legendary turnip varieties for centuries, such as the enormous Shogoin kabu, from which the senmaizuke, the “thousand slices” in brine which are one of the most famous pickles in the country: the very tradition of the tsukemono, fermented and marinated vegetables, has made kabu a protagonist of the daily Japanese table. But Italy also has a history of turnips: for the Romans, turnip It was a staple food, praised by Pliny and Columella, who distinguished its varieties by shape and sweetness and cultivated it in the Lazio countryside long before the arrival of the potato. The kabu grown today in Lazio closes a two-thousand-year circle: a turnip that returns to Roman gardens by way of Japan, smaller, sweeter, and more delicate than when it left.
 
 
 

Choosing Kobi Rapa means taking care of yourself

Turnips are one of the lightest vegetables in existence, with less than 30 calories per 100 grams, and among the richest in water: they are filling, hydrating, and easily digestible, especially when eaten raw. They belong to the Brassicaceae family, like cabbage and broccoli, and share their characteristics. glucosinolates, the sulfur compounds studied for their protective properties, present here with a much sweeter and more delicate flavor note. The root provides Vitamin C, potassium and fibre; the leaves, which should never be discarded, are even more valuable, with vitamin K, beta-carotene, calcium and iron in quantities higher than those of many leafy vegetables. The purple variety adds the anthocyanins The peel contains the same antioxidant pigments as berries. Eating kabu raw or lightly marinated best preserves its heat-sensitive vitamins and natural enzymes: a vegetable that is doubly beneficial, with both the root and the leaves.

How to Best Use: Kobi Turnip (Kabu)

• FAST TSUKEMONO: KABU IN KOMBUCHA AND SESAME BRINE – A Japanese homemade recipe, with a Roman twist. Cut the turnips into very thin slices, season with salt and pepper. Trapani Slow Food Fine Salt and let them drain for twenty minutes; squeeze them and cover them with theApple Kombucha Sour Vinegar, which brings acidity and ferments, and a spoonful of Slow Food Organic Ispica Sesame toasted. After an hour in the refrigerator they are ready; for the spicy version, three drops of Biodynamic Red Jalapeño SauceServe them on a bowl of Whole Organic Rosa Marchetti Rice hot.
• KOBI TURNIPS GLAZED WITH CORIANDER HONEY, WITH SUNDAY ROAST CHICKEN – The side dish that steals the show. Cut the turnips in half, leaving a tuft of stem, brown them in a pan and add a spoonful of Organic Chestnut Honey and a few drops of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP, until they become shiny and golden; finally sauté the leaves together with the Organic Red Beet. Bring them to the table next to the Whole Organic Free Range Chicken roast with wedges of Annurca Apple from Campania PGI: sweet, tart and crunchy, the perfect autumn dish.
• KABU SOUP, RED LENTILS AND FRESH TURMERIC – A silky soup that can be made in twenty minutes. Stew the chopped turnips with the Organic Hulled Red Lentils, which cook quickly and thicken, a little piece of Fresh Organic Turmeric Root grated and a handful of Organic White Quinoa, which gives body; cover with the Organic Brown Rice Drink, cook and blend. Complete with the sautéed kabu leaves and the Organic Brown Rice Galette crumble instead of croutons.

Seasonality and Conservation

Kabu is a short-cycle turnip that in Lazio is harvested from October through the winter and then again in spring, always young, when the root is small and sweet. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week: separate the leaves from the roots, as they continue to absorb moisture, and store the roots in the crisper drawer in a paper bag, wrapping the leaves in a damp cloth, and consume within two or three days. Don't peel young turnips: the skin is thin and flavorful; a simple brushing under water is sufficient. Larger roots, if they lose firmness, will be crunchy again after an hour in ice water.
 
 
 

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