Brassica oleracea, Cymosa group, is one of the most puzzling members of the cabbage family. The trouble is that, although shopkeepers and shoppers can usually distinguish it easily from the cauliflower, botanists cannot.
Like the cauliflower, broccoli is a sort of cabbage in which flowers have begun to form but have stopped growing while still in bud. In the cauliflower the buds are clustered tightly together to form the familiar white head. In broccoli, or at least what is called ‘sprouting broccoli’, they are in separate groups, each group on its own thick, fleshy stalk. Besides sprouting broccoli (which is ready for consumption in the spring, after overwintering, and may have purple, green, or white flower heads), the main category of this vegetable is calabrese, an annual broccoli which is harvested in summer; it is green or purple. A third category, romanesco, matures later in the year, displaying yellowish-green multiple heads, grouped together. However, the development of numerous cultivars has resulted in a highly complex situation.
One plausible theory about its origin is that broccoli developed before the cauliflower. Vilmorin (1883), drawing on his great experience as the premier seedsman of France, thought that when gardeners first tried growing cabbages for their shoots (as opposed to compact heads) they began to develop prototypes of broccoli, and that it was from these that cauliflowers, which were regarded as superior because of their white and compact form, evolved.
The first clear description of broccoli occurs in the 1724 edition of Miller's Gardener's Dictionary, where it was described as a stranger in England ‘until within these five years’ and was called ‘sprout colli-flower’ or ‘Italian asparagus’. It seems to be generally accepted that the broccoli thus introduced to England, and no doubt to other European countries at about the same time, came from Italy. Broccoli is an Italian word meaning ‘little arms’ or ‘little shoots’. The Italian connection is maintained in the name calabrese, which refers to the Italian province of Calabria.
Broccoli reached N. America later in the 18th century, but did not become popular there until the 20th century. In the latter part of the century its consumption has increased dramatically. About 90% of the crop in the USA comes from California.
Broccoli is less demanding than cauliflower in respect of climate, and thrives in many parts of the world. For what is often called Chinese broccoli, the sort preferred in China, see Chinese kale.
Broccoli is rich in nutrients, best preserved by cooking briefly, with little water, or stir-frying. A dressing of lemon butter or hollandaise sauce suits it.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
