Nutrition Raw collard greens are 90% water, 6%
carbohydrates, 3%
protein, and contain negligible
fat (table). Like kale, collard greens contain substantial amounts of
vitamin K (339% of the
Daily Value, DV) in a serving. Collard greens are rich sources (20% or more of DV) of
vitamin A,
vitamin C, and
manganese, and moderate sources of
calcium and
vitamin B6. A reference serving of cooked collard greens provides of
food energy.
Culinary East Africa Collard greens are known as
sukuma wiki in
Swahilli and are one of the most common vegetables in East Africa.
Sukuma is mainly lightly sauteed in oil until tender, flavoured with onions and seasoned with salt, and served either as the main dish or as a side dish with meat or fish. In Congo, Tanzania and Kenya, thinly sliced collard greens are commonly eaten alongside another popular dish made from maize flour, known as
sima or
ugali.
Southern and Eastern Europe Collards have been cultivated in Europe for thousands of years with references to the
Greeks and
Romans back to the 1st century
CE. In
Montenegro,
Dalmatia and
Herzegovina, collard greens, locally known as
raštika or
raštan, were traditionally one of the staple vegetables. It is particularly popular in the winter, stewed with smoked mutton (
kaštradina) or cured pork, root vegetables and potatoes. Known in Turkey as
kara lahana ("dark cabbage"), it is a staple in the Black Sea area. It is also an essential ingredient in many Spanish soups and stews, like the pote asturiano, from the Asturian province.
United States Collard greens are a
staple vegetable in
Southern U.S. cuisine. They are often prepared with other similar green
leaf vegetables, such as
spinach, kale,
turnip greens, and
mustard greens in the dish called "mixed greens". Typically used in combination with collard greens are
smoked and salted meats (
ham hocks, smoked turkey drumsticks, smoked turkey necks, pork neckbones,
fatback or other fatty meat), diced onions, vinegar, salt, and
black pepper, white pepper, or crushed red pepper, and some cooks add a small amount of sugar. Traditionally, collards are eaten on
New Year's Day, along with
black-eyed peas or
field peas and
cornbread, to ensure wealth in the coming year. Cornbread is used to soak up the "
pot liquor", a nutrient-rich collard broth. Collard greens may also be thinly sliced and fermented to make a collard
sauerkraut that is often cooked with flat
dumplings. Landrace collard
in-situ genetic diversity and
ethnobotany are subjects of research for
citizen-science groups. Greens were widely used because the plants could last through the winter weather and could withstand the heat of a southern summer even more so than spinach or lettuce. In
President Barack Obama's first
state dinner, collard greens were included on the menu. Novelist and poet
Alice Walker used collards to reference the intersection of African-American heritage and black women. These Brazilian and Portuguese cultivars are likely members of a distinct non-heading cultivar group of
Brassica oleracea, specifically the Tronchuda Group. Thinly-sliced collard greens are also a main ingredient of a popular Portuguese soup, the
caldo verde ("green broth"). For this broth, the leaves are sliced into strips, wide (sometimes by a grocer or market vendor using a special hand-cranked slicer) and added to the other ingredients 15 minutes before it is served.
Kashmir Valley In
Kashmir, collard greens (locally called
haakh) are included in most meals. Leaves are harvested by pinching in early spring when the dormant buds sprout and give out tender leaves known as
kaanyil haakh. When the extending stem bears alternate leaves in quick succession during the growing season, older leaves are harvested periodically. In late autumn, the apical portion of the stem is removed along with the whorled leaves. There are several dishes made with
haakh. A common dish eaten with rice is
haak rus, a soup of whole collard leaves cooked simply with water, oil, salt, green chilies and spices.
Zimbabwe In Zimbabwe, collard greens are known as in Ndebele and in Shona. Due to the climate, the plant thrives under almost all conditions, with most people growing it in their gardens. It is commonly eaten with sadza (
ugali in East Africa, pap in
South Africa,
fufu in West Africa and
polenta in Italy) as part of the staple food. is normally wilted in boiling water before being fried and combined with sautéed onions or tomato. Some (more traditionally, the Shona people) add beef, pork and other meat to the mix for a type of stew. Most people eat on a regular basis in Zimbabwe, as it is economical and can be grown with little effort in home gardens. == In literature ==