Once Considered 'Poor Man's' Food, This Salad Ingredient Is Now Wildly Popular

For regulars standing in line at the smoothie bar, kale seemed to have grown out of nowhere sometime in the 2010s. What you might not realize about the leafy ingredient that greenifies juices, smoothies, and salads is that it has a history of over 2,000 years of consumption, but not as the champion of healthy diets as we see it today. Long before kale entered our bougiest recipes, it was known as "peasant cabbage," an unappetizing and stubborn vegetable that was hard work to make enjoyable. Nonetheless, kale went from "poor man's food" to superfood through some creative guerrilla marketing and a successful rebrand.

It's not a unique story. Along with lobster and escargot, there are many luxury foods that were once considered "poor man's" options, only to make a comeback as highly sought-after delicacies that demand higher prices. Kale is a hardy winter crop, able to grow in colder climates, which made it a common last-resort vegetable in Europe when others weren't available. Kale is tough and can have a bitter or even peppery taste, making it less neutral or versatile than other cruciferous vegetables like cabbage or cauliflower. 

Despite western superfood markups, kale has maintained a very different reputation in East Africa,  where it is a staple source of affordable nutrition in countries such as Kenya and Tanzania. Meanwhile, health supplements or dietary options containing kale command premium pricing in the U.S.

The year 2011 was a big one for kale. That was when the AKA, or American Kale Association, supposedly enlisted the marketing talents of a publicist named Oberon Sinclair and her P.R. agency, My Young Auntie, to make the leafy greens a household name. Within three years, Beyoncé was proudly wearing a "Kale" emblazoned sweater in her "7/11" music video, and kale was appearing on cafe chalkboards, restaurant menus, and Instagram recipes. But the story of kale's resurgence took a bizarre turn after a writer from mindbodygreen elicited a confession from Sinclair that the AKA was a mythical organization of her invention, designed to be the personal driver of kale's rebranding campaign. The reason? Sinclair's faith in its value as a healthy vegetable.

Regardless of how kale gained popularity, it has maintained a consistent consumer following. This has a lot to do with the genuine health advantages that drew Sinclair to the vegetable in the first place. Kale is jam-packed with vitamins C and K, while also boasting antioxidants with liver-detoxifying benefits. Like other leafy greens, kale also provides fiber to promote gut health and folates (vitamin B9) for overall bodily wellbeing. The good news is that kale no longer has to be a burdensome vegetable to consume. Many hearty kale recipes have emerged, turning what was once an unappealing necessity into something both nutritious and delicious, whether fresh and raw or as a healthy snack of seasoned and roasted kale chips.