Lacinato kale grows 60 to 90 centimetres (2 to 3 ft) tall[11] and has dark blue-green leaves with an "embossed texture"; its taste is described as "slightly sweeter and more delicate" than
curly kale[12] and "slightly bitter [and] earthy".[13] The lacinato variety is sometimes called dinosaur kale because its bumpy leaves may resemble what dinosaur skin looked like,[14] and perhaps because the unique appearance of the leaves is evocative of primordial flora. Because of its taste, it has been called "the darling of the culinary world".[15]
Preparation and dishes
Lacinato kale, like most other kale varieties, is usually
blanched first, and then
sautéed with other, flavourful ingredients; in
Campanian cuisine,
anchovies are often added.[9] It is commonly used in pastas and soups, but can also be eaten raw, in a salad.[16]
In
Tuscan cuisine, lacinato kale is often used in
ribollita (literally: "reboiled"), a thick, hearty soup made up of ingredients cooked for a meal the day before.[17]
In Dutch, it is called (as in German) palmkool or palmkohl, referring to the palm-like shape with the leaves growing from the stem, especially after the bottom leaves are harvested. In Swedish and Finnish, it is known as svartkål or mustakaali, meaning 'black cabbage'.
Cultivation
Lacinato kale dates to the 18th century in Italy.[18] This
cultivar is popular among gardeners because of its colour and texture,[18][19] and was amongst the plants
Thomas Jefferson recorded in his 1777 garden at
Monticello.[20] The plant grows to a height of two feet, with blistered leaves often over 30 cm (1 ft) in length and 5–10 cm (2–4 in) wide.[18] The straplike leaves[21] are typically harvested from the bottom of the stem, leaving the remainder of the plant resembling a palm tree.[18]