Brassicaceae notes ( + Asteraceae )

Hakusai = napa cabbage

Hokusai = hentai fler

Hokusai Cameron = Shanghai bok choy a.ka. siew pak choy, as packaged in Food Merchant TRX

Also TIL :

Chinese cabbage, used in kimchi ... Brassica rapa (species) pekinensis (subspecies)

MY : Siew pak choy => CN : Shanghai bok choy ... Brassica rapa (species) chinensis (subspecies) ... identified by the greener stems, whereas just "bok choy" refers to the whiter stems

MY : Choi sum (heart, "sprouts") => CN : yau (oil) choy ... Brassica rapa (species) parachinensis (subspecies) 

... so called because it resembles Brassica napus "rapeseed" used to make canola oil

... all belonging to the family of Brassicaceae containing : crucifers, mustards, radishes including horseradishes and wasabi, cabbages, watercress, kales

... the mnemonic being, all the above are at least slightly spicy (try them raw)!

油菜 vs. 油麦

MY : yau mak ... is for the lettuces ; apparently a cousin of the endives 

... and they're all in the Cichorium (CHICORY) genus, under the Asteraceae (SUNFLOWER) family

... the sunflower family apparently, tends to store energy in fructans, a variety of carbohydrate which is less digestable to humans ... specifically one called inulin ; 

inulin has ~5% the sweetness of sugar and ~30% the food energy for humans, in which it functions as a soluble fibre ; intestinal flora love it, of course, so it's considered a FODMAP ( "pre-biotic" );