‘Chic’ cabbages are having a moment

“After decades of terrible PR”, the humble cabbage is “quietly gaining cultural capital”, said Business Insider. The sad memories of soggy “WWII boiled cabbage recipes” and the “Cabbage Soup Diet of the ’80s” are things of the past.

Some would call this boom a “recession indicator”, but many are flocking to the vegetable’s high-fibre and low-calorie content. Whatever the reason, cabbage is certainly “having a moment”.

Currently, the “fibre-maxxing” movement is in full swing, with fermented foods all over social media as users scramble for better gut health. Cabbage “punches well above its weight” in terms of nutritional value, said Rob Hobson, nutritionist and food author. It is a “rich source” of fibre, and also vitamin C and K, and he says it “will overtake protein as the trendiest nutrient” this year.

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Cabbage has “never enjoyed the glossy halo afforded to avocados, blueberries”, or any other sought-after superfood, said Hannah Twiggs in The Independent. “It is the vegetable equivalent of sensible shoes: practical, reliable and almost aggressively uninterested in seduction.” The green leaves have fed people of all backgrounds for thousands of years – in soups in central Europe, kimchi in Korea, and becoming “fused” into the “national psyche” of Ireland alongside potatoes.

Perhaps what is fuelling this resurgence is its “lack of glamour”, low price tag and wide availability. Cabbage “asks little, delivers much and carries none of the aspirational baggage of trendier ingredients”. It is “not new. It is just newly appreciated.”

“Everything’s coming up cabbages”, even in fashion, said Anna Grace Lee in Vogue. After the “Pinterest Predicts” trend report said that 2026 is the year of “peak cabbage obsession”, the vegetable has become “chic”. There are cabbage motifs everywhere, from the “Sandy Liang cabbage bag” to the “Dodie Thayer for Tory Burch ceramic line”.

“I always keep a head or two in my fridge so I can throw together a quick, healthy, and budget-friendly meal at a moment’s notice,” said Charlyne Mattox in Country Living. Cabbage is one of the best ingredients to “stretch your grocery dollar”, while still providing a “nourishing” meal.

“Butter-braised” cabbage with cream and garlic is a “quick and easy” way to use up any “pantry staples”. You can add “roasted salmon, bone-in chicken breasts, or a tender pork chop” for a delicious meal. For a lighter option, try rustling up a classic bacon-cabbage panzanella, adding meat and bread to your taste – and sprinkling a little “crumbly cheese” like feta on top.