About Broccoli

Broccoli and cauliflower are two more kinds of Brassica oleracea, so similar that both are designated as botanical variety botrytis, from a Greek word meaning a cluster like a bunch of grapes. "Broccoli" is an Italian word taken from the Latin brachium, meaning an arm or branch. "Cauliflower" comes from the Latin terms caulis (cabbage) and floris (flower). These "cabbages" are grown for their thickened, profuse, undeveloped flowers and flower stalks instead of for their leaves. Broccoli has two distinct forms. One makes a dense, white "curd" like that of cauliflower and is called "heading broccoli" or "cauliflower broccoli." The other makes a somewhat branching cluster of green flower buds atop a thick, green flower stalk two to two and a half feet tall, and smaller clusters that arise like "sprouts" from the stems at the attachments of the leaves. This form is called "sprouting broccoli."

Nutritional Information