Lacinato — the long, dark blue-green dinosaur kale. A sturdy braising and massaging green that fits soul-food greens cooking and modern salads alike.
Lacinato has become common in Southern farmers' markets and is increasingly cooked the way collards are — low and slow with smoked turkey or quick with garlic — making it an easy, nutrient-dense addition to the greens rotation.
Lacinato is among the most lutein- and zeaxanthin-dense greens, protecting the macula against the higher rates of glaucoma and diabetic eye disease in Black Americans. As a Brassica it supplies glucosinolates converted to sulforaphane and DIM for cancer-protective detox and estrogen balance, dietary nitrate for nitric-oxide blood pressure lowering, and abundant vitamin K1. Its low glycemic load and fiber help blunt post-meal glucose spikes relevant to T2D.
Strip the tough central rib. Braise like collards for a tender pot green, or massage raw thin-sliced leaves with olive oil, lemon, and salt to break down the cell walls for a salad. Holds texture better than curly kale in long cooking.
Free, no account needed to ask.