Collard (plant)

Collardis a group of loose-leafedcultivarsofBrassica oleracea, the same species as many commonvegetablesincludingcabbageandbroccoli. Part of theAcephala(kale) cultivar group, it is also classified as thevarietyB. oleraceavar.viridis.
The plants are grown as a food crop for their large, dark-green,edible leaves, which are cooked and eaten as vegetables. Collard greens have been cultivated as food sinceclassical antiquity.
The termcolewortis a medieval term for non-heading brassica crops.
The term collard has been used to include many non-headingBrassica oleraceacrops. While American collards are best placed in theViridiscrop group,theacephala(Greekfor 'without a head')cultivargroup is also used referring to a lack of close-knit core of leaves (a "head") like cabbage does, making collards more tolerant of high humidity levels and less susceptible to fungal diseases.
InAfrica, it is known assukuma(East Africa),muriwoorumBhida(Southern Africa).  InKashmir, it is known ashaakh(Kashmir).
The plant is abiennialwhere winter frost occurs; some varieties may beperennialin warmer regions. It has an upright stalk, often growing over two feet tall and up to six feet for the Portuguese cultivars. Popular cultivars of collard greens include 'Georgia Southern', 'Vates', 'Morris Heading', 'Blue Max', 'Top Bunch', 'Butter Collard' (couve manteiga),couve tronchuda, andGroninger Blauw.
Collard is generally described as part of theAcephala(kale) cultivar group,but is also classified as thevarietyB. oleraceavar.viridis.
The plant is commercially cultivated for its thick, slightly bitter, edible leaves. They are available year-round, but are tastier and more nutritious in the cold months, after the first frost.For besttexture, the leaves are picked before they reach their maximum size, at which stage they are thicker and are cooked differently from the new leaves. Age does not affect flavor.
Flavor and texture also depend on thecultivar; thecouve manteigaandcouve tronchudaare especially appreciated in Brazil and Portugal. The large number of varieties grown in the United States decreased as people moved to towns afterWorld War II, leaving only five varieties commonly in cultivation. However, seeds of many varieties remained in use by individual farmers, growers and seed savers as well as within U.S. government seed collections.In theAppalachianregion,cabbage collards, characterized by yellow-green leaves and a partially heading structure are more popular than the dark-green non-heading types in the coastal South.There have been projects from the early 2000s to both preserve seeds of uncommon varieties and also enable more varieties to return to cultivation.
The sting nematode,Belonolaimus gracilisand theawl nematode,Dolichodorus spp.are bothectoparasitesthat can injure collard. Root symptoms include stubby or coarse roots that are dark at the tips. Shoot symptoms include stunted growth, premature wilting, andchlorosis(Nguyen and Smart, 1975). Another species of the sting worm,Belonolaimus longicaudatus, is a pest of collards in Georgia and North Carolina (Robbins and Barker, 1973).B. longicaudatusis devastating to seedlings and transplants. As few as three nematodes per 100 g (3.5 oz) of soil when transplanting can cause significant yield losses on susceptible plants. They are most common in sandy soils (Noling, 2012).
The stubby root nematodesTrichodorusandParatrichodorusattach and feed near the tip of collard's taproots. The damage caused prevents proper root elongation leading to tight mats that could appear swollen, therefore resulting in a "stubby root" (Noling, 2012).
Several species of the root knot nematodeMeloidogyne spp.infest collards. These include:M. javanica,M. incognitaandM. arenaria. Second-stage juveniles attack the plant and settle in the roots. However, infestation seems to occur at lower populations compared to other cruciferous plants. Root symptoms include deformation (galls) and injury that prevent proper water and nutrient uptake. This could eventually lead to stunting, wilting and chlorosis of the shoots.
The false root knot nematodeNacobbus aberranshas a wide host range of up to 84 species including many weeds. On Brassicas it has been reported in several states, including Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Kansas (Manzanilla-López et al., 2002). As a pest of collards, the degree of damage is dependent upon the nematode population in the soil.
Some collard cultivars exhibit resistance to bacterial leaf blight incited byPseudomonas cannabinapv.alisalensis(Pca).
Raw collard greens are 90% water, 6%carbohydrates, 3%protein, and contain negligiblefat(table). Like kale, collard greens contain substantial amounts ofvitamin K(339% of theDaily Value, DV) in a 100-gram (3.5 oz) serving. Collard greens are rich sources (20% or more of DV) ofvitamin A,vitamin C, andmanganese, and moderate sources ofcalciumandvitamin B6.A100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving of cooked collard greens provides 137 kilojoules (33 kilocalories) offood energy.
Collard greens are known assukumainSwahilliand are one of the most common vegetables in East Africa.Sukumais mainly lightly sauteed in oil until tender, flavoured with onions and seasoned with salt, and served either as the main accompaniment or as a side dish with meat or fish. In Congo, Tanzania and Kenya (East Africa), thinly sliced collard greens are the main accompaniments of a popular dish known assimaorugali(made with maize flour).
Collards have been cultivated in Europe for thousands of years with references to theGreeksandRomansback to the 1st centuryCE.InMontenegro,DalmatiaandHerzegovina, collard greens, locally known asraštikaorraštan, 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 askara 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.
Collard greens are astaplevegetable inSouthern U.S. cuisine.They are often prepared with other similar greenleaf vegetables, such asspinach, kale,turnip greens, andmustard greensin the dish called "mixed greens". Typically used in combination with collard greens aresmokedand salted meats (ham hocks, smoked turkey drumsticks, smoked turkey necks, pork neckbones,fatbackor other fatty meat), diced onions, vinegar, salt, andblack pepper, white pepper, or crushed red pepper, and some cooks add a small amount of sugar. Traditionally, collards are eaten onNew Year's Day, along withblack-eyed peasorfield peasandcornbread, 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 collardsauerkrautthat is often cooked with flatdumplings. Landrace collardin-situgenetic diversityandethnobotanyare subjects of research forcitizen-sciencegroups.
During the time ofslavery in the U.S., collards were one of the most common plants grown in kitchen gardens and were used to supplement the rations provided by plantation owners.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.
Broadly, collard greens symbolizeSouthern cultureandAfrican-American cultureand identity. For example,jazzcomposer andpianist,Thelonious Monk, sported a collard leaf in hislapelto represent his African-American heritage.InPresident Barack Obama's firststate dinner, collard greens were included on the menu. Novelist and poetAlice Walkerused collards to reference the intersection of African-American heritage and black women.There have been many collard festivals that celebrate African-American identity, including those inPort Wentworth, Georgia(since 1997),East Palo Alto, California(since 1998),Columbus, Ohio(since 2010), andAtlanta, Georgia(since 2011). In 2010, the Latibah Collard Greens Museum opened inCharlotte, North Carolina.
Many explorers in the late nineteenth century have written about the pervasiveness of collards in Southern cooking particularly among black Americans. In 1869, Hyacinth, a traveler during the Civil War, for example, observed that collards could be found anywhere in the south.In 1972, another observer, Stearns, echoed that sentiment claiming that collards were present in every black Southerner's garden.In 1883, a writer commented on the fact that there is no word or dish more popular among poorer whites and blacks than collard greens.The collard sandwich—consisting of fried cornbread, collard greens, andfatback—is a popular dish among theLumbee peopleinRobeson County, North Carolina.
InPortugueseandBrazilian cuisine, collard greens (orcouve) are a common accompaniment to fish and meat dishes. They make up a standardside dishforfeijoada, a popularpork and beans-style stew.These Brazilian and Portuguese cultivars are likely members of a distinct non-heading cultivar group ofBrassica oleracea, specifically the Tronchuda Group.
Thinly-sliced collard greens are also a main ingredient of a popular Portuguese soup, thecaldo verde("green broth"). For this broth, the leaves are sliced into strips,2–3 millimetres (1⁄16–1⁄8inch) 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.
InKashmir,collard greens (locally calledhaakh) are included in most meals.Leaves are harvested by pinching in early spring when the dormant buds sprout and give out tender leaves known askaanyil 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 withhaakh. A common dish eaten with rice ishaak rus, a soup of whole collard leaves cooked simply with water, oil, salt, green chilies and spices.
In Zimbabwe, collard greens are known asumbhidain Ndebele andmuriwoin 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 (ugaliin East Africa, pap inSouth Africa,fufuin West Africa andpolentain Italy) as part of the staple food.Umbhidais 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 theumbhidamix for a type of stew.Most people eatumbhidaon a regular basis in Zimbabwe, as it is economical and can be grown with little effort in home gardens.
Collard greens are often mentioned in literature from the American South.William Faulknermentions collard greens as part of a Southern meal in his novelIntruder In the Dust.Walker Percymentions collard greens in his 1983 short story "The Last Donohue Show." Collards appear inClyde Edgerton's novelLunch at the Piccadilly. In the novelGone With the Wind, hungry protagonist Scarlett O'Hara wistfully remembers a pre-Civil War meal that included "collards swimming richly in pot liquor iridescent with grease."InFlannery O'Connor's short storyA Stroke of Good Fortune, the main character is an unhappy working-class woman who reluctantly cooks collard greens for her brother, which she finds rustic.