A leafy green vegetable similar to cabbage, with large dark leaves that are boiled and eaten as a side dish, especially in Southern cooking.
From 'colewort,' combining Old English 'cole' (from Latin 'caulis' meaning cabbage) and 'wort' (plant). The word evolved in English regions and became especially associated with African-American Southern cuisine.
Collard greens survived slavery and became iconic soul food because enslaved people were forced to eat the parts of food whites rejected—and they transformed those leftovers into dishes so delicious they're now celebrated as cultural treasures.
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