# What does kale taste like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479 "2013-07-25T14:26:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vodkalover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/cdc98d/32.png) [@vodkalover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vodkalover)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/1 "2013-07-25T14:26:12Z")
Is it similar to broccoli or is it bitter tasting? TIA ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/2 "2013-07-25T14:27:17Z")
chicken ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/3 "2013-07-25T14:29:16Z")
Hard to describe, but I’d say it’s something between spinach and romaine. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/4 "2013-07-25T14:41:14Z")
It tastes like concentrated vitamins. It’s not bitter, but it’s nothing like broccoli. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/5 "2013-07-25T14:48:30Z")
Disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/6 "2013-07-25T14:50:29Z")
Hate to point out the obvious, but there’s an extremely easy way to find out… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/7 "2013-07-25T15:01:29Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > It’s not bitter, but it’s nothing like broccoli. Really? I think it’s bitter. To me, it’s like a heavy, bitter lettuce, though not as bitter as radiccio. I like it, but I can’t pretend it’s not bitter. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/8 "2013-07-25T15:03:45Z")
To me it tastes like dirt and chlorophyll. I can see some interpreting the mineral taste as bitter, but it isn’t to me. Radicchio… Bleh. That’s definitely bitter. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/9 "2013-07-25T15:07:59Z")
I eat a bag of it every day. Raw, it is a little bitter. It is not bitter when it is sauteed. It is a little sweet. It tastes a little like broccoli when cooked but not a whole lot. Little known fact: Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts and savoy are different cultivars of the same species of plant (_Brassica oleracea_). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/10 "2013-07-25T15:25:53Z")
I like and eat swiss chard, kale, escarole, endive, bok choy, collards, turnip greens, etc. I use whichever the recipe suggests, but I’ll be damned if I can describe the taste of any particular green. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/11 "2013-07-25T15:32:02Z")
I’m not sure. We were growing it our garden, and the damn rabbits seemed to love it though. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/12 "2013-07-25T15:39:14Z")
It is bitter to me unless you massage the kale which does pretty dramatically soften the kale and reduce the bitterness. I tear the kale into small pieces and place in a bowl with some olive oil, lemon juice, a dash of salt/pepper and then massage the kale. After massaging the kale you can add a mashed avocado and lightly massage a second time to coat. It is pretty tasty prepared in this way. Raw kale? Ugh, forget about it! ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/13 "2013-07-25T16:22:15Z")
It’s somewhere between 9 and yellow. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/14 "2013-07-25T16:29:34Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I eat a bag of it every day. For those of us long curious about the color of your bowel movements, this is a major clue! ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/15 "2013-07-25T16:36:23Z")
Tastes like cabbage on steroids, to me. That weird, heavy, funky taste. It’s more cabbagey than cabbage. Cabbage I can tolerate in stews and coleslaw, but kale is a bit overpowering. One of the few leafy greens I’ve tried and didn’t much care for. And I like bitter greens. (And LOVE LOVE spinach which IMO tastes nothing like kale.) ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/16 "2013-07-25T16:36:57Z")
It tastes like strong greens, like collards or spinach (though more bitter.) I enjoy it when it’s done right. Whole Foods here has a fantastic kale & pinenut salad in their deli case. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/17 "2013-07-25T16:42:14Z")
This should be in CS. Try Portuguese Kale Soup sometime, the kale is quite delicious there. Once when I didn’t have the spinach I thought I did I used chopped kale to make Oysters Florentine. It tasted a little different, but was delicious anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/18 "2013-07-25T17:28:28Z")
Strong, bad, and with a bit of bitter. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/19 "2013-07-25T17:40:12Z")
Broccoli is bitter tasting. Kale is more so. It tastes like green. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/20 "2013-07-25T18:15:11Z")
It’s vaguely kale-y. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479.md?page=2)