Krazy About Kale

When Did Kale Become So Popular?

By Nell Jones - daughter, writer, student, contributor

Kale has become wildly popular in the last decade and is now available in smoothies, chips, salads, and more.  Some people live by it, and some like to make fun of those who live by it.

But where did it come from, and why did it become so popular?  And now, how can I become part of this growing food group?

Rumor has it that kale was brought to Europe years and years ago, where it played a huge role in those regions.  Believe it or not, it was also grown by the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

One of its superpowers is that it is not affected by frost, which allows it to grow in these colder regions and, likewise, can be served all year round in your local SweetGreen.

However, health-conscious foodies in the United States did not rediscover kale or bring it back into style, as some might suggest. Other countries, like Germany, the Netherlands, and Scotland, have been celebrating kale in their cultures for a long time.

In the last two decades, kale’s reputation has spread from just a staple of the farmer’s market-goer’s shopping cart to its brand.  You can buy the famous Kale shirts, give the name to your child, or even celebrate the national holiday.

But What's So Special?

Besides the fact that it is so easy to grow and grows so abundantly, even in the colder regions of the United States, there are many benefits to the leafy green that make it so popular.  Kale is low-calorie and has no fat. It has many nutrients like iron, Vitamins K, A, C, and calcium, which are great for detoxing.

With all these health bonuses, you might wonder why we don't incorporate kale into our daily diet. One of the main reasons is that in its naturally grown state, kale is not very tasty and tends to be very tough and bitter.

For this reason, knowing how to prepare kale to make it a meal you want to eat is essential.

How to Get It Ready to Eat

For example, kale is marketed in salads everywhere. But to be an edible substitute for lettuce, you must know how to prepare it.

One thing many people do not know, and why many might be dissatisfied with their kale salad, is that it is important to massage the kale with some oil-based dressing to make it easier to eat and less bitter.

Another popular way of preparing kale is to make an excellent snack of kale chips by putting them on a cooking sheet with some olive oil and salt and sticking them in the oven; again, you must massage the kale with oil first.

Add garlic to the ingredient list, and you can sauté the kale to make a good side dish for any main meal.

Kale Salad

Breakfast Kale

Now that we have dinner, lunch, and a snack, how can we incorporate it into breakfast?  It's easy.

Add it to a fruit smoothie.  You would be surprised to learn that other than making the smoothie green, you will not notice the blended kale in your normal fruit smoothies.  And if you juice it first, you won’t even have a leaf trace.

Here's my recipe for Spinach & Kale Smoothie.

As you can see, it did not just fall from the sky to become the newest food craze of the 21st century.  It is also a staple for vegans or millennials and everyone.

There are many benefits to this green and many ways to enjoy those benefits.  In fact, in one Scottish dialect, the word kail means “food,” in Germany, there is a celebration just for eating cooked kale.

The United States might have just hopped on this kale train, but other countries have been riding it for a while, and now we understand why!

Some of My Favorite Ingredients