Out with the kale, in with the kalettes - a new hybrid vegetable is about to rock the Kiwi food scene.
The cross between kale and poor old Brussels sprouts has stolen the show in the UK and now they are here.
Kalettes are set to hit the shelves at
What are kalettes? We taste a new hybrid vegetable set to hit New Zealand
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"The inspiration behind kalettes came from a desire to create a kale type vegetable which was versatile, easy to prepare and looked great."
But what on earth do they taste like? The Weekend Herald went along to the My Food Bag HQ in Auckland this week to try them out.
The good news for many is the mini-cabbage look alikes taste much more like kale than Brussels sprouts.
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For one they don't have the bitter taste of Brussels sprouts and secondly they are much crunchier than grandma's boiled-to-death sprouts.
And although the five year old in us all wanted to hate them, they were surprisingly moreish.
Delivered direct from Ohakune the same day, the purple and green bundles were literally farm to table.
My Food Bag's head of recipe development Anton Leyland covered the kalettes in salt, oil, parmesan cheese and a generous amount of garlic, before roasting them in the oven for about five minutes.
He then added lemon and a sumac pistachio spice mix to serve.
They were crispy around the edges and chewy in the centre, which soaked up all the flavour.
We reckon they would make the perfect healthy snack - similar to kale chips- or be great in a slaw or served with a piece of pan-fried meat. We aren't however sold on the idea of adding them to a smoothie just yet.
"Given their versatility, they can be sauteed, roasted, grilled or eaten raw," said Lim.
Plus, just like kale, kalettes are loaded with vitamins.
"Like their parent veggies, the kalette is loaded with vitamin K, folate, vitamin c, carotenoids and fibre," said Lim.
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Kalettes were the result of 15 years hard work by British company Tozer Seeds, to perfect a tastier version of the Brussels sprout. They are also a non-GMO vegetable.
They combine the convenience of the small, round Brussels sprout with the textural and nutritional attributes of kale, making them versatile and quick to cook.
Kalettes are a new brand at Countdown that will be available in selected stores in a few weeks. The supermarket chain have sold a similar product in previous years called 'flower sprouts'.
Selected New Worlds are also set to hold in-store tastings of kalettes, to introduce the product to customers.
Farro general manager Michal Haines said they have stocked Kalettes in the past, and plan to do so again this year, but sales were slow to start.
"As with any new vegetable it takes a little bit of time for customers to get a feel for what it is and to venture into the unknown," she said.
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"We're all about introducing new and exciting things so people can have amazing variety on their plate and try new things."
The price of the new vegetable has not yet been decided on by retailers as it is dependent on how much stock is brought in.
