This article is about the cabbage and corn. Cabbage and cross section on white.

Smooth-leafed, firm-headed green cabbages are the most common, with smooth-leafed purple cabbages and crinkle-leafed savoy cabbages of both colours being rarer. Under conditions of long sunny days, such as those found at high northern latitudes in summer, cabbages can grow quite large. Cabbage was most likely domesticated somewhere in Europe in Ancient history before 1000 BC. Cabbage in the cuisine has been documented since Antiquity. The varietal epithet capitata is derived from the Latin word for “having a head”.

Cabbage” was originally used to refer to multiple forms of B. A related species, Brassica rapa, is commonly named Chinese, napa or celery cabbage, and has many of the same uses. The original family name of brassicas was Cruciferae, which derived from the flower petal pattern thought by medieval Europeans to resemble a crucifix. The word brassica derives from bresic, a Celtic word for cabbage. The cabbage inflorescence, which appears in the plant’s second year of growth, features white or yellow flowers, each with four perpendicularly arranged petals. Many shapes, colors and leaf textures are found in various cultivated varieties of cabbage.

Leaf types are generally divided between crinkled-leaf, loose-head savoys and smooth-leaf firm-head cabbages, while the color spectrum includes white and a range of greens and purples. Oblate, round and pointed shapes are found. Cabbage has been selectively bred for head weight and morphological characteristics, frost hardiness, fast growth and storage ability. The appearance of the cabbage head has been given importance in selective breeding, with varieties being chosen for shape, color, firmness and other physical characteristics. There are several Guinness Book of World Records entries related to cabbage. These include the heaviest cabbage, at 62.

Although cabbage has an extensive history, it is difficult to trace its exact origins owing to the many varieties of leafy greens classified as “brassicas”. Cabbage was probably domesticated later in history than Near Eastern crops such as lentils and summer wheat. Because of the wide range of crops developed from the wild B. Chrysippus of Cnidos wrote a treatise on cabbage, which Pliny knew, but it has not survived. Brassica was considered by some Romans a table luxury, although Lucullus considered it unfit for the senatorial table.