Gai lan

Gai lan
Gai lan
Species Brassica oleracea
Cultivar group Alboglabra Group
Origin unknown
Gai lan
"Gai lan" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 芥蘭
Simplified Chinese 芥兰
Hanyu Pinyin jièlán
Literal meaning mustard orchid
Burmese name
Burmese ကိုက်လန်
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet cải làn or cải rổ
Thai name
Thai คะน้า  [kʰā.náː]
RTGS khana

Gai lan (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra)[1] is the Cantonese name and jie lan is the Mandarin name for a vegetable that is also known as Chinese broccoli [2] or Chinese kale. It is a leaf vegetable with thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems, and flower heads similar to but much smaller than broccoli, another Brassica oleracea cultivar, but gai lan is in the group alboglabra (from Latin albus "white" and glabrus "hairless"). Its flavor is very similar to that of broccoli, but slightly more bitter. It is also noticeably stronger.

Hybrids

Broccolini is a hybrid between broccoli and gai lan, produced by Mann Packing Company, Inc.[3]

Cultivation

Gai lan can be sown in late summer for early-winter harvesting. Seedlings planted in autumn will last all winter.

Uses

Gai lan is eaten widely in Chinese cuisine, Common preparations include gai lan stir-fried with ginger and garlic, and boiled or steamed and served with oyster sauce. It is also common in Vietnamese, Burmese and Thai cuisine.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Brassica oleracea L. var. alboglabra (L. H. Bailey) Musil". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Patrick J. Cummings; Hans-Georg Wolf (2011). A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor. Hong Kong University Press. p. 62. ISBN 9789888083305.
  3. ↑ "Broccolini". Washington State University. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  • "Chinese Kale (Gai Lan, Chinese Broccoli)". Evergreen Seeds. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  • Media related to Kai-lan at Wikimedia Commons
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