Komatsuna

Brassica rapa

leaf

Large dark green leaves and tender stems of a Japanese green of the turnip family, mild and barely mustardy; raw in salads or stir-fried. It provides calcium, beta-carotene and lutein.

Origin

Japan (Tokyo region)

Season (United States)

October to March

Preparation

Leaves and stems are washed; young, they are eaten raw in salads, otherwise stir-fried for one to two minutes, the stems a little before the leaves.

Molecules

Beta-carotene (vitamin A) · Lutein and zeaxanthin · Vegetable nitrates · CalciumIn small amounts, not counted Pungent glucosinolates · Chlorophyll

Did you know?

Its name means “greens of Komatsu”, after the village of Komatsugawa, now part of Tokyo, where it was widely grown in the Edo period.