| Bok choy | |
|---|---|
Brassica rapa chinensis, called "bok choy" in the United States
| |
| Species | Brassica rapa |
| Cultivar group | Chinensis |
| Origin | China, 5th century AD[1] |
Bok choy (American English, Canadian English, and Australian English), pak choi (British English, South African English, and Caribbean English) or pok choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) is a type of Chinese cabbage, used as food. Chinensis varieties do not form heads and have green leaf blades with lighter bulbous bottoms instead, forming a cluster reminiscent of mustard greens. It has a flavor between spinach and water chestnuts but is slightly sweeter, with a mildly peppery undertone. The green leaves have a stronger flavor than the white bulb.[2][3]
Chinensis varieties are popular in southern China, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. Being winter-hardy, they are increasingly grown in Northern Europe.[citation needed] Now considered a subspecies of Brassica rapa, this group was originally classified as its own species under the name Brassica chinensisbyCarl Linnaeus.[citation needed] They are a member of the family of Brassicaceae or Cruciferae, also commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family.
| Cooked bok choy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chinese name | |
| Chinese | 青菜, 小白菜 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | qīngcài, xiǎobáicài |
| Bopomofo | ㄑㄧㄥ ㄘㄞˋ, ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄅㄞˊ ㄘㄞˋ |
| Gwoyeu Romatzyh | chingtsay, sheaubairtsay |
| IPA | [tɕʰíŋ.tsʰâɪ], [ɕjàʊ.pǎɪ.tsʰâɪ] |
| Romanization | tsching tsae |
| Cantonese and Southern Min name | |
| Chinese | 白菜 |
| Yale Romanization | baahk choi |
| Jyutping | baak6 coi3 |
| IPA | [pàːk tsʰɔ̄ːy] |
| Hokkien POJ | pe̍h-chhài or pe̍eh-chhài |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 청경채 |
| Hanja | 靑莖菜 |
| Revised Romanization | cheonggyeongchae |
| Japanese name | |
| Kanji | 青梗菜 |
| Katakana | チンゲンサイ |
| Romanization | chingensai |
Other than the ambiguous term "Chinese cabbage", the most widely used name in North America for the chinensis variety is simply bok choy (Cantonese for "white vegetable") or siu bok choy (Cantonese, for "small white vegetable"; as opposed to dai bok choy meaning "big white vegetable" which refers to the larger Napa cabbage). It can also be spelled pak choi, bok choi, and pak choy. In the UK, South Africa, and the Caribbean the term pak choi is used. Less commonly, the descriptive English names Chinese chard, Chinese mustard, celery mustard, and spoon cabbage are also employed.
InMandarin Chinese, the common name is 青菜 qīng cài ("green vegetable")[4]or小白菜 xiǎo bái cài ("small white vegetable"). Although it is simply called 白菜 baak choi ("white vegetable") in Cantonese, the same characters pronounced bai cai by Mandarin speakers are preferably used as the name for Napa cabbage.[5]
What is labelled bok choy may come in 2 forms: white bok choy (Chinese: 奶白菜; lit. 'milky white vegetable',[6] or in Cantonese simply Chinese: 白菜; lit. 'white vegetable') or Shanghai bok choy (Chinese: 上海青; lit. 'Shanghai green', Chinese: 青江菜; lit. 'green river vegetable', or Chinese: 小棠菜 siu tong choy). White bok choy is usually more expensive and has dark-colored crinkly leaves and stem portions that are white and a crisp texture that is more suitable for Cantonese-style cooking, stir-fries, and simple or raw preparations.[7] Shanghai bok choy has greater availability in most American markets, and has mild-tasting spoon-shaped leaves that are lighter green with stems that are jade green instead of white. The texture of Shanghai bok choy is less crisp, and it gets slimy if overcooked but otherwise can often be substituted for white bok choy.[8]
In Australia, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries has redefined many transcribed names to refer to specific cultivars. In addition, they have introduced the word buk choy to refer white bok choy and redefined pak choy to refer to Shanghai bok choy.[9][10][11]
Bok choi cooks in 2 to 3 minutes by steaming, stir-frying, or simmering in water (8 minutes if steamed whole). The leaves cook more quickly than the stem. It is used in similar ways to other leafy vegetables such as spinach and cabbage.[12] It can also be eaten raw.[13] It is commonly used in salads.
Bok choy, dried, is saltier and sweeter. Bok choy, pickled, remains edible for months.[14] Immature plants have the sweetest, tenderest stems and leaves.[15]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 54 kJ (13 kcal) |
2.2 g | |
| Dietary fiber | 1.0 g |
0.2 g | |
1.5 g | |
| Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
| Vitamin A equiv. | 27% 243 μg25% |
| Thiamine (B1) | 3% 0.04 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 5% 0.07 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | 3% 0.5 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 2% 0.09 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 11% 0.19 mg |
| Folate (B9) | 17% 66 μg |
| Vitamin C | 50% 45 mg |
| Vitamin K | 38% 46 μg |
| Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
| Calcium | 8% 105 mg |
| Iron | 4% 0.80 mg |
| Magnesium | 5% 19 mg |
| Manganese | 7% 0.16 mg |
| Potassium | 8% 252 mg |
| Sodium | 3% 65 mg |
| Other constituents | Quantity |
| Water | 95.3 g |
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[16] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[17] | |
See the table for the nutritional content of bok choy. The raw vegetable is 95% water, 2% carbohydrates, 1% protein and less than 1% fat. In a 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving, raw bok choy provides 54 kilojoules (13 food calories) of food energy and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin A (30% DV), vitamin C (54% DV) and vitamin K (44% DV), while providing folate, vitamin B6 and calcium in moderate amounts (10–17% DV).
![[icon]](https://akarinohon.com/text/taketori.cgi/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2022)
|
Bok choy evolved in China, where it has been cultivated since the 5th century CE.[1]
![Bok choy as depicted in art, the Jadeite Cabbage[18]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jadeite_Cabbage%2C_National_Palace_Museum.jpg)
Media related to Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis at Wikimedia Commons|
| |
|---|---|
| Species |
|
| Cultivars |
|
 Brassica Brassicaceae | |
| Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis |
|
|---|---|
| Brassica chinensis |
|
Authority control databases: National  |
|
|---|
