Food - Drink
What To Do If Your Napa Cabbage Has Tiny Black Spots
By SYLVIA TOMCZAK
Unlike standard, spherical cabbage, napa cabbage looks more like an elongated head of lettuce with green outer leaves and a yellow center. When shopping for napa cabbage, you should try to find one that feels heavy for its size, with firm, compact, bruise-free leaves — but what if there are little black spots on the outside of the cabbage?
If you see sesame seed-sized black dots on napa cabbage leaves, know that the cabbage isn't rotten or unsafe. These blemishes are called pepper spots, gomasho, or vein necrosis, and can result from the genetics of the plants, environmental factors like acidic soil, use of nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich fertilizers, or harvest and storage conditions.
Though pepper spots on the outer leaves of napa cabbage won't affect internal leaves, the spots can also indicate the presence of mold if the cabbage was kept improperly. It's best to remove those stained outer leaves and ensure that the inner leaves don't have any of the black spores before cooking and eating them.