The Cabbage Capital of Europe

The Ecotopia 2121 Project details the futures of 100 cities across the globe as though they've somehow overcome all environmental challenges and become super-ecofriendly. This week, we highlight the future of Leuven.

Oliver Cromwell, Vladimir Lenin, Nelson Mandela. Why do no photographs exist of these men consuming cabbage? In the ecofriendly age of the 22nd Century, it’ll probably be considered impolite to insult any Green organism but let’s face it; for children all over the world, cabbage is still likely to be regarded as one of the most vile foodstuffs in the entire universe. Just a small whiff of it bubbling fetidly away in a cooking pot will likely make future kids gag as it does today.

Despite these facts, cabbage seems to remain a popular dish in northern Europe. One theory for this strange circumstance is the use of cabbage as a parenting tool. Most children would happily go through the whole week obeying their parents every whim just so they could be allowed the one misdemeanor of not eating their cabbage at dinner time. A related theory suggests those children that positively refuse to eat their cabbage go on to become great revolutionaries. Thusly: Cromwell, Lenin, Mandela; no photographs exist of these men eating cabbage.

But of course, as people mature, a taste for cabbage is often acquired. In the Flemish city of Leuven 2121, they’ve turned cabbage into an art form as the city promotes itself to be the Winter Vegetarian capital of the World. Every day of winter is classed as a Veggie Day, where restaurants and schools serve up vegetarian meals.

Cabbage is the queen of the vegetables in this season and a darling of the ‘eco-foods’ since cabbage production does not require heated glasshouses, it quite likes cooler climes, and if you don’t mind eating it with a few moth bites in it, cabbage doesn’t require pesticides to grow. It can also be grown wild to add to the biodiversity of the Leuven cityscape