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Bok choy originated in China. Courtesy of the Chinese immigrants who brought it with them, it arrived in North America in the 19th C. Despite its consistently growing consumption, it remained a stranger to most American tables until the end of the 20th C. It's a funny thing, awareness, it seems to spread of its own accord. Whatever the facts, frequently known for eons, suddenly it catches the wind of fortune and becomes celebrated. While the celebrity may diminish, the familiarity stays in the upper part of our collective consciousness. Thank goodness, for bok choy is one of the most health rich vegetables available in the market.  Known by many aliases, including pak choi, pak choy, bok choi, Chinese cabbage, white cabbage and Napa cabbage our bok choy is almost too good a vegetable to be true. Whatever you choose to call it, it has a mild sweet taste with crunchy stems and soft leaves. Bok choy is easy to prepare in dozens of ways and is considered to be a high fiber, zero-calorie food. A zero-calorie food is one that requires more calories to digest than it contains. My kind of veggie. As a full-fledged member of the mustard or cruciferous family, bok choy has been identified as containing elements that prevent the development of cancers and improve blood pressure and kidney functions. Moreover, it carries a high concentration of the powerful antioxidants found in Vitamis A & C and produces the antioxidant compounds that provide anti-inflammatory properties that protect humans from injuries and infections. Not a bad CV, for a cabbage patch denizen.  Despite the initial dominance of the Chinese Silk and Spice traders, it took until the 14th C for bok choy to reach Korea and another six centuries to find its way just around the corner to Japan, which was after it arrived in North America. Don't you sort of wonder what happened there? Bok choy's popularity has expanded both in North and South America as well as throughout Asia. In places such as the exceedingly wealthy but land poor Singapore, the vertical hydroponic farming of bok choy has enabled this vegetable to become a staple worth its nutritional growing value.  In this space we have previously published bok choy recipes such as Gingered Baby Bok Choy, Chaio's Roots and Shrimp Noodle Bowl and Asparagus, Bok Choy and Shitake Rice Salad. All of which can be found on the market website. Today we're offering Bok Choy Roasted in Sesame Oil and Ginger. Try it this way or that, you'll be impressed by the combination of flavor and good healthy eating it provides.
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