“Dinosaur vegetable” in recent New York Times food content refers to dinosaur kale , another name for lacinato or Tuscan kale, not an actual prehistoric plant.

What “dinosaur vegetable” means

  • The NYT uses “dinosaur” specifically for a variety of kale with long, bumpy, dark-green leaves, often called dinosaur or lacinato kale.
  • Articles and recipes describe it alongside other kales (curly, baby, Tuscan) as a trendy, nutrient-dense leafy vegetable used in salads, braises, and rice dishes.

Why it’s called “dinosaur” kale

  • A NYT Magazine piece on kale’s history notes that Italian growers developed kale with “dinosaur” scales, referring to its pebbly, reptile-like leaf texture.
  • The nickname plays on the leaves’ dark, rugged look, which is often compared to a dinosaur’s skin rather than any real link to dinosaurs.

Kale’s place in NYT food coverage

  • NYT food and dining sections have repeatedly highlighted kale—especially dinosaur/Tuscan types—as a fashionable, healthy ingredient in modern recipes and restaurant dishes.
  • Over time, coverage has framed kale as going from ordinary cooking green to a star of salads, braised dishes, and wellness-focused cooking trends.

TL;DR: In NYT context, “dinosaur vegetable” = dinosaur (lacinato/Tuscan) kale, a bumpy dark-green kale variety, not a literal dinosaur-related plant.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.