Choy

Choy is a term with several uses in English, most commonly referring to bok choy, a leafy green vegetable widely used in East Asian cuisines. Bok choy, also called pak choi or Chinese white cabbage, belongs to the Brassica rapa species and is characterized by crisp white stalks and dark green leaves. It is grown in many varieties, including standard bok choy, baby bok choy, and Shanghai bok choy, which vary in size and stalk thickness but share a mild, slightly peppery flavor.

Nutritionally, bok choy is low in calories and provides a good supply of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folate and calcium. The leaves and stalks have different textures, with the stalks remaining pleasantly crunchy when cooked briefly. This makes bok choy a versatile ingredient in stir-fries, soups, steaming, and braising. In cooking, the white ribs are usually added first to ensure tenderness, followed by the greens so both components reach desirable doneness.

Beyond the vegetable, choy also appears as a surname or given name in various East Asian communities, with variant spellings such as Choi and Chow. Related terms include choy sum and pak choi, which refer to other leafy Brassica vegetables in East Asian markets. The word choy in these contexts often reflects transliterations of local terms for vegetables or greens.

In summary, choy most often denotes bok choy in culinary usage, a nutritious, adaptable vegetable, while also functioning as a surname or part of names for related greens in East Asian culinary traditions.