The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DRUMHEAD
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
D
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "type of cabbage" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case type of cabbage = drumhead.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does DRUMHEAD mean?
DRUMHEAD noun- The thin circle of material attached to the top of a drum shell for the purpose of striking, sometimes made of skin and in such occurrences sometimes referred to as a skin, or drum-skin, but often synthetic.
- A drumhead cabbage.