Tatsoi
| Tatsoi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Brassica |
| Species: | B. rapa |
| Subspecies: | B. r. subsp. narinosa |
| Trinomial name | |
| Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa (L.H.Bailey) Hanelt | |
| tatsoi | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 塌菜 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanyu Pinyin | tācài | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Tatsoi (Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa[1] or Brassica rapa var. rosularis[2]) is an Asian variety of Brassica rapa grown for greens. This plant has become popular in North American cuisine as well, and is now grown throughout the world.
Naming
The name comes from Mandarin (塌棵菜 tā kē cài). It is also called 'Chinese flat cabbage', 'rosette pakchoi' or 'broadbeaked mustard',[3] 'spoon mustard',[2] or 'spinach mustard'. Cantonese transliterations include 'tat soi', 'tat choy'.
Description
The plant has dark green spoon-shaped leaves which form a thick rosette. It has a soft creamy texture and has a subtle yet distinctive flavour.
It can be grown to harvestable size in 45–50 days, and can withstand temperatures down to –10°C (15°F). Tatsoi can be harvested even from under the snow.
Nutritional value
Tatsoi contains high levels of vitamin C, carotenoids, folic acid, calcium and potassium.[4]
References
- ↑ Report of a Vegetables Network: Joint Meeting with an Ad Hoc Group on Leafy Vegetables, 22-24 May 2003, Skierniewice, Poland. Rome: Bioversity International. 2005. p. 58. ISBN 9789290436799. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- 1 2 Creasy, Rosalind (15 Mar 1999). The Edible Salad Garden. Vermont: Tuttle Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 9781462917617. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- ↑ "Sorting Brassica rapa names". Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database. The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ↑ "Nutrition Facts for Tatsoi (Spoon Mustard)". HealWithFood.org. Retrieved 17 March 2016.