# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/21 "2013-07-25T18:20:35Z")
It is a little bitter when raw and I think that it needs something salty added to really bring out the flavour but it’s one of my favorites in a warm bacon kale and tomato salad. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/22 "2013-07-25T18:22:38Z")
I don’t know, I put it in my smoothies with lots of strawberries, mangos and bananas! ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/23 "2013-07-25T18:28:28Z")
> [@MeanJoe](#): > > Raw kale? Ugh, forget about it! I was going to say, “Bad. It tastes **bad**.” I had it in a salad a while back, and while I manfully tried to power through the bad, I wound up retching and unable to finish the salad. Part of that was texture, though–it tastes bad and you have to chew it for a long, long time. Blech. I will admit, now that I think of it, that it did have something vaguely in common with broccoli, which I quite like. And both of them have something vaguely in common with cabbage. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/24 "2013-07-25T18:49:27Z")
Kale loses a lot of its bitterness after the first frost. I like it in caldo verdi (the Portuguese kale soup mentioned upthread) and replacing the cabbage in ham (or corned beef) and. Our gardener once brought us a mess of kale that his wife had made too much of, cooked with garlic and olive oil. It was delicious, but it totally fucked my anti-clotting drug. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/25 "2013-07-25T20:12:57Z")
Moving from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/26 "2013-07-25T23:42:50Z")
> [@MeanJoe](#): > > 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! I had bought a bunch of kale a few months ago at a farmers market, thinking that I could use it as a salad green, and ended up tossing half of it because I couldn’t stand the taste. I had recently signed up for one of those local produce deliveries and when I got the first shipment today it included a big bag of kale. I’m going to give this a try. I’ve also been looking up eggplant recipes, since there were also three of them in the box; I’ve had it in a restaurant but never tried cooking it before. ---
**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/27 "2013-07-26T00:04:45Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Kale loses a lot of its bitterness after the first frost. I like it in caldo verdi (the Portuguese kale soup mentioned upthread) and replacing the cabbage in ham (or corned beef) and. Our gardener once brought us a mess of kale that his wife had made too much of, cooked with garlic and olive oil. It was delicious, but it totally fucked my anti-clotting drug. Yep. Kale must freeze once before harvest, then (and only then) it becomes edible. IMO. And yes, kale as well as other cabbage cultivars contains much vitamin K. Since anticoagulants work by opposing vitamin K, a kale-rich diet will mess up your warfarin therapy. ---
**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 26, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/28 "2013-07-26T00:16:11Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I had bought a bunch of kale a few months ago at a farmers market, thinking that I could use it as a salad green, and ended up tossing half of it because I couldn’t stand the taste. I had recently signed up for one of those local produce deliveries and when I got the first shipment today it included a big bag of kale. I’m going to give this a try. > . My farm share gives all uncollected shares to homeless shelters and has a “leave one take one” box as well. If its a delivery service, rather than a farm share per se, our local box o’ veggies service lets you reject an item from any delivery. Life’s too short to have kale in the house, that’s my motto. It’s hard enough using up or preserving everything I actually _like_. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/29 "2013-07-26T00:16:33Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I had recently signed up for one of those local produce deliveries and when I got the first shipment today it included a big bag of kale. I had kale in one of my CSA baskets two years ago and was ready to be brave and try something new. Unfortunately, when I went to rinse the leaves in the sink, I found that they were covered in aphids. And I mean covered. An aphid blanket on the back of half the leaves in my shipment. I probably could have rinsed really well and still eaten it, but the sight of my kale crawling with bugs seriously turned me off of that veggie. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/30 "2013-07-26T00:35:23Z")
For all of you that don’t like the taste of raw kale, it is completely different when sauteed and quite good by any standard. The recipe is dead simple: Chop some garlic and maybe some peppers of any type and cook in a stir fry or similar type pot in a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Just don’t burn it. Salt to taste. When the garlic is golden add a few tablespoons of water and the kale (lots of it; I use a whole bag) and switch to medium-high heat. Sautee it for about five minutes or until the kale is tender while stirring frequently. It tastes nothing like raw kale. It is savory, vaguely sweet and oh so delicious. You can also add a little chicken stock or other things like cranberries or nuts if you want to make it more fancy but it isn’t necessary. ---
**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 26, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/31 "2013-07-26T01:38:28Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I’ve also been looking up eggplant recipes, since there were also three of them in the box; I’ve had it in a restaurant but never tried cooking it before. I like to just grill 1/2" slices, then cool, chill and slice into a vinaigrette salad. Last week I got some baby eggplants that I quickly sautéed and served, with sautéed onions over plum pierogies. Or halve lengthwise, scoop out the innards and mix with meat, etc. stuff and bake. ETA: there is a restaurant in Grand Case, St Martin called L’ Auberge Gourmande. Eggplant in each meal. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/32 "2013-07-26T03:01:21Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > My farm share gives all uncollected shares to homeless shelters and has a “leave one take one” box as well. If its a delivery service, rather than a farm share per se, our local box o’ veggies service lets you reject an item from any delivery. The place I signed up for has several types of boxes to choose from, and does allow you to list items you don’t want (as well as things like allergies) and offers substitutes. I had actually included kale on my list of non-wants, but hadn’t noticed that for some reason this doesn’t apply to the “local produce” box I had requested. Next time I will pay more attention when I get the email listing what will be in what box, and make my selection accordingly. > [@kayaker](#): > > I like to just grill 1/2" slices, then cool, chill and slice into a vinaigrette salad. Last week I got some baby eggplants that I quickly sautéed and served, with sautéed onions over plum pierogies. > > Or halve lengthwise, scoop out the innards and mix with meat, etc. stuff and bake. Those sound like interesting ideas; I’ll add them to my list. (I wonder how eggplant and kale would go together in a salad?) ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479/33 "2013-07-26T03:16:06Z")
I like Kale, Beet Greens and Swiss Chard are my favorite “Greens”. I like spinach too. Not crazy about collards, mustard greens [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-kale-taste-like/664479.md?page=1)