Broccoli

Broccoli is an edible green plant in the cabbage family. It has large flower heads, or florets, usually dark green, arranged in a tree-like structure branching out from a thick stalk. The leaves surround these flower heads. Broccoli looks similar to cauliflower, which is a different but closely related plant.

You can eat broccoli either raw or cooked. It is a rich source of vitamin C and vitamin K. Some of the special compounds in broccoli are best kept if you cook it by steaming, microwaving, or stir-frying, rather than boiling.

Rapini, sometimes called "broccoli rabe", is not the same as broccoli. It is a type of turnip and has smaller heads.

Taxonomy

Broccoli is a type of plant that was first described in 1794 by a person named Joseph Jakob von Plenck. It comes from wild cabbage, also known as colewort or field cabbage. All broccoli plants belong to a group called brassicas.

Etymology

The word broccoli was first used in the 17th century. It comes from an Italian word, the plural of broccolo, which means "the flowering crest of a cabbage". This word is a smaller form of brocco, meaning "small nail" or "sprout".

History

Broccoli started growing in the northern Mediterranean area around the sixth century BCE. It came from early plants in the Roman Empire and was likely improved in southern Italian Peninsula or Sicily. By the 18th century, broccoli spread to northern Europe, and Italian immigrants brought it to North America in the 19th century. After World War II, new plant breeding in the United States and Japan helped create better types of broccoli that grow faster and are healthier, like 'Premium Crop', 'Packman', and 'Marathon'.

Description

Broccoli is a green plant that grows each year and can reach up to about two to three feet tall. It has a big stem you can eat, and at the top grows a dark green flower part called an inflorescence. Though most broccoli is dark green, special kinds can be violet, yellow, or white, but these are not common. The flowers of broccoli are yellow and have four petals.

Broccoli needs about 14 to 15 weeks of growing time. It is picked by hand when the big flower part is ready but the flowers are still just buds. After the first big part is picked, the plant can grow many smaller flower parts that can also be harvested later.

Varieties

There are three main types of broccoli. The most common is called Calabrese broccoli, named after a region in Italy called Calabria. It has big green flower heads and thick stems. Another type is sprouting broccoli, which has many small heads on thin stems. There is also a type called purple cauliflower, which looks like cauliflower but has many tiny flower buds that can sometimes be purple.

A special kind of broccoli called Beneforté has more of a helpful plant chemical. It was made by mixing broccoli with a wild relative.

Other cultivar groups of Brassica oleracea

Main article: Brassica oleracea § Cultivar groups

Brassica oleracea has many different types of vegetables. Some of these include cabbage, cauliflower, Romanesco broccoli, kale, collard, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, and kai-lan. Because they are all the same species, these plants can mix together easily. For example, broccolini is a mix between broccoli and kai-lan.

Cultivation

Broccoli grows best in cool weather, with ideal temperatures between 54–68 °F (12–20 °C). When the flower cluster, or "head," forms in the center of the plant, it is usually green. Garden pruners or shears are used to cut the head about 25 mm (1 in) from the tip.

The growth of broccoli depends on temperature. Higher temperatures can make it harder for the head to form properly, and growth slows when it gets colder than 41 °F (5 °C). Broccoli is harvested by hand before the flowers on the head turn yellow, as machines cannot be used for harvesting.

Production

In 2024, the world grew about 27 million tonnes of broccoli and cauliflower together. Most of this came from China and India, which together made up 73% of all broccoli grown. Other countries like the United States, Mexico, and Spain also grow broccoli, but in smaller amounts.

In the United States, California is where most broccoli is grown. In 2024, California alone produced 92% of all the broccoli sold fresh in the country.

Nutrition

Raw broccoli is mostly water, with a small amount of carbohydrates, protein, and very little fat. Eating 100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, gives you a bit of energy and lots of vitamin C and vitamin K. It also has some B vitamins and potassium.

Cooking

Boiling broccoli can lower its helpful plant compounds, but methods like steaming, microwaving, and stir-frying keep these compounds better.

Taste

Broccoli can taste bitter to some people because it contains certain compounds like glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. These compounds also have sulfur in them. Some believe that genes, especially a gene called TAS2R38, may affect how bitter broccoli tastes to us.

Pests

Broccoli can sometimes be bothered by small insects. One common pest is the larvae of the "small white" butterfly, which were accidentally brought to places like North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Other pests that might affect broccoli include:

• Aphids
• Cabbage looper
• Cabbage webworm
• Cross-striped cabbageworm
• Diamondback moth
• Cabbage maggot
• Harlequin cabbage bug