Broccoli
| Broccoli |
|---|
|
| Species |
| Brassica oleracea
|
| Origin |
| possibly Ancient Rome |
| Cultivar Group members |
| Many; see text. |
Broccoli is a green vegetable belonging to the Cabbage family, or Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). It is classified as the Italica cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea. (A cultivar is a cultivated plant defined by a specific, heritable set of characteristics.) Broccoli is composed of fleshy green flower heads arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible stalk. The large mass of flower heads is surrounded by leaves. Broccoli closely resembles the vegetable cauliflower, which is actually just a different cultivar of the same species, though broccoli is green rather than white like cauliflower. Common varieties of broccoli include calabrese and purple sprouting broccoli. Broccoli is a good source of vitamin C, iron, fiber, potassium, vitamin A, calcium, zinc, magnesium, carotene, and vitamin B. It is thought to be important in the prevention of certain types of cancer, along with diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure.[1]
Cultivation, preparation and nutritional value
Broccoli is a cool-weather crop that does poorly in hot summer weather. It is usually boiled or steamed, but may be eaten raw and has become popular as a raw vegetable in hors-d'oeuvre trays. It is high in vitamin C, vitamin A and soluble fiber and contains the multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties including diindolylmethane and selenium. The 3,3'-Diindolylmethane found in broccoli is a potent modulator of the innate immune response system with anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activity.[2] Broccoli also contains the compound glucoraphanin, which can be processed into an anticancer compound sulforaphane. The nutritional benefits of broccoli, however, are reduced if the vegetable is boiled.[3]
History of broccoli
Broccoli is a cultivar of wild cabbage. Wild cabbage originated along the northern and western coasts of the Mediterranean, where it was apparently domesticated thousands of years ago. That domesticated cabbage was eventually bred into wildly different cultivars, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, and brussels sprouts, all of which remain the within the same species.
Roman references to a cabbage-family vegetable that may have been broccoli are not entirely clear. The Roman natural history writer, Pliny the Elder, wrote about a vegetable that fits the description of broccoli and some vegetable scholars recognize broccoli in the cookbook of Apicius.
Broccoli was an Italian vegetable, as its name suggests, long before it was eaten elsewhere. It is first mentioned in France in 1560, but in 1724 broccoli was still so unfamiliar in England that Philip Miller's Gardener's Dictionary (1724 edition) referred to it as a stranger in England and explained it as "sprout colli-flower" or "Italian asparagus." In the American colonies, Thomas Jefferson was also an experimental gardener with a wide circle of European correspondents, from whom he got packets of seeds for rare vegetables such as tomatoes. He noted the planting of broccoli at Monticello along with radishes, lettuce, and cauliflower on May 27, 1767. Nevertheless, broccoli remained an exotic plant in American gardens. In 1775, John Randolph, in A Treatise on Gardening by a Citizen of Virginia, felt he had to explain about broccoli: "The stems will eat like Asparagus, and the heads like Cauliflower."
Commercial cultivation of broccoli in the United States can be traced to the D'Arrigo brothers, Stephano and Andrea, immigrants from Messina, Italy, whose company made some tentative plantings in San Jose, California in 1922. A few crates were initially shipped to Boston, where there was a thriving Italian immigrant culture in the North End. The broccoli business boomed, with the D'Arrigo's brand name "Andy Boy" named after Stephano's two-year-old son, Andrew, supported by advertisements on the radio.
Broccoli and cauliflower, which are actually cultivars of the same species, have been crossbred to produce brocciflower. It was first cultivated in Europe around 1988. Its very pale green heads are densely packed like cauliflower but it has the flavor of broccoli.
The word broccoli comes from the Latin brachium, meaning arm, via the Italian braccio.
Varieties
The two main types of broccoli are heading and sprouting. There are three commonly grown varieties of broccoli. The calabrese is the most familiar, with large green heads and thick stalks, and is named after Calabria, the region in Italy where it was first cultivated. It is planted in spring and farmed in August.
Sprouting broccoli has a larger number of heads with many thin stalks. It is planted in May to be harvested during the winter or early the following year.
Romanesco broccoli has numerous small cone-shaped heads arranged in spirals, and is yellow-green in color.
White and purple varieties are also available in some areas. Other cultivar groups of the species Brassica oleracea include: cabbage (Capitata Group), cauliflower (Botrytis Group), kale and collard greens (Acephala Group), kohlrabi (Gongylodes Group), and Brussels sprouts (Gemmifera Group). Chinese broccoli (Alboglabra Group) is also a cultivar group of Brassica oleracea.
Gallery
Extreme close-up of broccoli florets.
Broccoli flowers.
Romanesco broccoli, showing fractal forms
Steamed broccoli
References and notes
- ↑ Allen, R., Allen, Z. 2007. Broccoli: The Crown Jewel of Nutrition. Vegetarians in Paradise. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
- ↑ University of California, Berkeley. 2007. [ http://www.diindolylmethane.org Diindolylmethane Information Resource Center at the University of California, Berkeley] Retrieved June 10, 2007.
- ↑ University of Warwick Media Centre. 2007. Research Says Boiling Broccoli Ruins Its Anti Cancer Properties. University of Warwick Medical School News. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
External links
- PROTAbase on Brassica oleracea (cauliflower and broccoli)
- Photograph of the distinctive Broccoli romanesco.
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