pe-tsai
(peɪˈtsaɪ)
Also Pe-Tsai.
[Older transliteration of Chinese báicài, f. bái white + cài vegetable; cf. pak-choi.]
A Chinese species of cabbage, Brassica pekinensis. Also attrib.
| 1795 W. Winterbotham Hist., Geogr., & Philos. View Chinese Empire v. 221 The Chinese make provision of pe-tsai for winter; pickling of it, and mixing it with their rice. 1845 Encycl. Metrop. XVI. 588/1 The Pe-tsai, or white herb, a kind of mustard,..is cultivated in large fields, and eaten either fresh or pickled, like the German Sauer-kraut. 1885 [see Chinese cabbage s.v. Chinese a. 2]. 1900 L. H. Bailey Cycl. Amer. Hort. I. 178/2 Pe-tsai cabbage. Ibid., The Pe-tsai, or Chinese cabbage, is no longer a novelty in American gardens, though it does not appear to be well known, and its merits are not understood. 1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 8 Mar. (Suppl.) 11/2 The celery-cabbage (Pe-Tsai) is worth trying, too. The heads are crisp and tender. 1969 Oxf. Bk. Food Plants 154/1 Pe-Tsai (Brassica pekinensis) is grown mostly for use as an autumn and winter vegetable... Pe-tsai has soft green, prominently veined leaves... The rather loose, elongated head bears some resemblance to a cos lettuce. 1972 Homes & Gardens Aug. 104/1 Chinese cabbage, or pe-tsai, is a new vegetable to this country. It comes from Israel and looks like a cross between a very pale whitish-green cos lettuce and a head of celery, although it is larger and considerably heavier than both. 1972 Country Life 14 Dec. 1676/3 Last autumn's drought delayed the growth of Chinese Pe-Tsai cabbage, sown in August, so..they are being cooked now. |