Cime di Rapa: Benefits, Nutrition and Kitchen Uses
Few vegetables capture Puglia like cime di rapa (turnip tops, also known as rapini or friarielli): light, full of flavour and deeply tied to tradition, from orecchiette to winter side dishes. Here is everything you need to know about their properties, benefits and uses in the kitchen.
What they are and when they’re in season
Cime di rapa are the tender flowering shoots and leaves of the turnip plant. They love the cold: sowing begins in late summer and the harvest runs from November to March, which makes them the winter vegetable par excellence of Apulian cooking.
Nutritional properties
They are an extremely low-calorie food packed with nutrients. Every 100 grams of the raw product provides about 22 kcal, with a water content of around 90% and a make-up that includes fibre, plant proteins and very little fat. Standout nutrients are vitamin C (over 100 mg per 100 g), vitamin K, folic acid, beta-carotene and minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorus.
The health benefits
- Cleansing and diuretic, thanks to their water content and good potassium-to-sodium ratio;
- Friendly to the gut, for their fibre content;
- Valuable in pregnancy, for their high folic acid content;
- Antioxidant, thanks to vitamin C and beta-carotene.
As always, the nutritional value is at its peak with short, gentle cooking.
How to clean them
Before cooking they need to be washed and trimmed: remove the tougher stalks and the large, leathery leaves, keeping the small florets and the tender little leaves. One last rinse and they’re ready for the pan.
In the kitchen
The most beloved way in Puglia is in the pan, “drowned” with oil, garlic and chilli: discover our recipe for braised cime di rapa. They’re also perfect with orecchiette, on toasted bread crostini, or as a side to meat and fish.
What to drink alongside? A crisp white or a rosé from Puglia. Come pick the right glass at Enoteca59 in Peschici.