Where did turnip greens and other greens originate?

Answer 1

Turnips are ancient vegetables that were cultivated almost 4,000 years ago in the Near East. Like other members of the to the Cruciferae family, including kale, collards, cabbage, and mustard greens, they were all developed from a wild mustard. Both the Greeks and Romans developed several new varieties, and they were popular throughout Europe, especially before the introduction of the potato. Early European settlers introduced turnips to North America. They grew well in the South, where they became an integral part of Southern African-American cuisine. Plantation owners may have grown turnips for their roots, leaving the leaves for the enslaved Africans. Because Western African cuisine traditionally uses a wide variety of greens, the enslaved Africans readily adopted turnip greens. Turnip greens continue to be an important vegetable in traditional Southern American cooking.