Cabbage, one of the most commonly and widely avalable vegetables, is distinctive for many reasons. Important points about its uses and benefits are highlighed below -

• Cabbage induces process of fermentation when mixed in chopped form with other chopped vegetables, dipped in water and kept tightly sealed for a weak or so. Fermentation enhances digestibility of the other vegetable and brings its extract into the water which may be stored for long and used as a digestive tonic containg attributes of the vegetable from which it is prepared and the cabbage. If the container is not sealed properly, fungus formation on the top is possible which must be removed at the earlies. Generally, the preparation remains harmless if it does not have any bitterness in taste, but adequate care is needed in its consumption.  
• The most distinctive ingredient of cabbage is sulfur and its derivatives known as thiols. Cabbage contains several dozen sulphur-containing derivatives of amino acids cystein, and about the same number of sulfoxides. During cooking of the vegetable many other thiol molecules are formed.
•  Most of the thiols of cabbage remain intact in the cooked vegetable also, of course, with some transformations. This retention of sulfur during storage and cooking is for the sulphur being attached to proteins and other compounds in the vegetable.
• For the best use of cabbage, wait for 5 to 10 minutes after chopping the cabbage before cooking it. In this waiting period, an enzyme myrosinase gets activated in 5 to 10 minutes of waiting. This activation produces thiols known as glucosinolates which are said to have cancer-preventive properties and other health benefits. If the vegetable is cooked immediately after chopping, the heat denatures its myrosinase enzyme preventing formation of glucosinolates. 
• Antioxidant nutrients and vitamin C present in cabbage suffer losses during cooking of the vegetable. For minimising this loss, the vegetable should not be cooked for more than 5 minutes of steaming or stir-frying. 
• Cabbage in full head form may safely be stored in a refrigerated for about a week, but in chopped condition, it begins deterioration after 3 days of storage. 
• Many of the cabbage recipes use vinegar or lemon juice during cooking. Such recipes may be stored safely for 2/3 days but it is highly recommended to consume any preparation at the earliest for getting all its health benefits.   

Winter season is here and you will find vegetable markets flooded with this wonderful yet cheap vegetable. Enjoy its consumption in raw, cooked or preserved forms. 
Tempo-superba (Have a nice time)