How an unexpected observation, a 10th-century recipe and an explorer’s encounter with a cabbage thief upend what we know about collard greens’ journey to the American South

Collards may have arrived in southern Morocco via early Muslim traders, and Morocco may have been a stop in the journey the vegetables took to America.

By: Bronwen Powell, Penn State and Abderrahim Ouarghidi, Penn State, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 1, 2026

Words: 1,115

Last Updated: 2 days, 6 hours ago

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By Bronwen Powell, Penn State and Abderrahim Ouarghidi, Penn State

For generations, collard greens have formed an important part of African and African-diaspora diets around the world.

The leafy vegetable is a quintessential part of African American, Southern and “soul” foods in the United States. Collards are also important in some regions of Africa: In Kenya, where they are called sukuma wiki, they are one of the most commonly consumed vegetables.

Until now, the …

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