Broccoli
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Broccoli |
|---|
Broccoli, Calabrese cultivar |
| Species |
| Brassica oleracea |
| Cultivar Group |
| Italica Group |
| Origin |
| From Italy, (2,000 years ago)[1][2] |
Broccoli (from the Italian piccoli bracci, meaning "little arms")[3] is a plant of the cabbage family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae).
It is classified as a cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. Broccoli possesses abundant arboreal, luscious, fleshy, flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible, sturdy, meaty stalk. The mass of flower heads is surrounded by lavish leaves. Broccoli most closely resembles cauliflower, which is a different cultivar group of the same species, but broccoli is green while cauliflower can appear in purple and yellow in addition to the traditional white variety. In the United States, the term refers exclusively to the form with a single large head. This form is sometimes called "Calabrese" in the United Kingdom, where sprouting (non-heading) types and those with underdeveloped flower buds are also sold as broccoli.
Contents |
[edit] Varieties
There are three commonly grown types of broccoli. The most familiar is sometimes called calabrese in Great Britain and simply "broccoli" in North America. It has large (10 to 20 cm) green heads and thick stalks and is named after Calabria in Italy. It is a cool season annual crop.
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 in temperate climates. The heirloom variety "calabrese" available in North America is of this type.
Romanesco broccoli has a distinctive fractal appearance of its heads, and is yellow-green in colour. It is technically in the Botrytis (cauliflower) cultivar group.
Purple cauliflower is a type of broccoli sold in southern Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. It has a head shaped like cauliflower, but consisting of tiny flower buds. It sometimes, but not always, has a purple cast to the tips of the flower buds.
[edit] Cultivation, nutritional value, and preparation
| Broccoli, raw (edible parts), 100g Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) |
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| Energy 30 kcal 140 kJ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database |
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Broccoli is a cool-weather crop that does poorly in hot summer weather. Broccoli grows best when exposed to an average daily temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 23 degrees Celsius).[4] The majority (99%) of the United States broccoli crop is grown in California and Arizona.[5] Other cultivar groups of 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. [6]
Broccoli is high in vitamins C, K, and A, as well as dietary fiber; it also contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as diindolylmethane and selenium.[7] A single serving provides more than 30 mg of Vitamin C and a half-cup provides 52 mg of Vitamin C.[8] The 3,3'-Diindolylmethane only found in broccoli is a potent modulator of the innate immune response system with anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activity.[9] [10] Broccoli also contains the compound glucoraphanin, which can be processed into an anticancer compound sulforaphane, though the benefits of broccoli are greatly reduced if the vegetable is boiled more than ten minutes.[11] A high intake of broccoli has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.[12] Broccoli leaf is also edible and contains far more betacarotene than the florets.
Broccoli is usually boiled or steamed, but may be eaten raw and has become popular as a raw vegetable in hors-d'oeuvre trays. Although boiling has been shown to reduce the levels of suspected anticancer compounds in broccoli, other preparation methods such as steaming, microwaving, and stir-frying have been shown not to reduce the presence of these compounds.[11]
[edit] Production
FAO reports that in 2008, China and India were the top producers of cauliflower and broccoli.[citation needed] About half of all cauliflower is raised in China and one fourth in India. In Europe, production has been in Spain since about 1990.[citation needed] In North America, production is primarily in California.[5] The seasonal average f.o.b. shipping-poit price for cauliflower in 2004 was $33.00 per 100 pounds ($0.73/kg) according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.
| Top Ten cauliflowers and broccoli Producers — 11 June 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Production (Tonnes) | Footnote | ||
| 8585000 | F | |||
| 5014500 | ||||
| 1240710 | ||||
| 450100 | ||||
| 433252 | ||||
| 370000 | F | |||
| 305000 | F | |||
| 277200 | ||||
| 209000 | F | |||
| 186400 | ||||
| 19107751 | A | |||
| No symbol = official figure, P = official figure, F = FAO estimate, * = Unofficial/Semi-official/mirror data, C = Calculated figure A = Aggregate(may include official, semi-official or estimates); |
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[edit] Gallery
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Romanesco broccoli, showing fractal forms |
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[edit] References
- ^ Buck, P. A.. "Origin and Taxonomy of Broccoli" (in English). Department of Food Technology, University of California. http://www.springerlink.com/content/ert85x3082740212/fulltext.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-05-14.
- ^ Stephens, James. "Broccoli — Brassica oleracea L. (Italica group)" (in English). University of Florida. 1. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MV031. Retrieved on 2009-05-14.
- ^ Green, Aliza (in English). Field Guide to Produce. ISBN 19131686807. http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Produce-Virtually-Vegetable/dp/1931686807. Retrieved on 14-05-09.
- ^ "Broccoli Cultivation Factsheet, Clemson University extension (2003)". http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1301.htm. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ a b "Commodity Profile: Broccoli, University of California (2005)". http://www.agmrc.org/NR/rdonlyres/4055B7A3-1A42-4370-9D90-A9D60890D373/0/Broccoli2005B.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ Dixon, G.R. (2007). Vegetable brassicas and related crucifers. Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9780851993959.
- ^ "WHFoods: Broccoli" (in English). George Mateljan Foundation. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9. Retrieved on 2009-05-11.
- ^ Understanding Nutrition, Eleanor N. Whitney and Eva M. N. Hamilton, Table H, supplement, page 373 Table 1, ISBN 0-8299-0419-0
- ^ "Diindolylmethane Information Resource Center at the University of California, Berkeley". http://www.diindolylmethane.org. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ "Diindolylmethane Immune Activation Data Center". http://www.activamune.com/diindolylmethane_dim_immune_activation_data_center.htm. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ a b Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick (2007-05-15). "Research Says Boiling Broccoli Ruins Its Anti Cancer Properties". http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/research_says_boiling/.
- ^ Kirsh, VA; Peters U, Mayne ST, Subar AF, Chatterjee N, Johnson CC, Hayes RB (2007). "Prospective study of fruit and vegetable intake and risk of prostate cancer". Journal of the National Cancer Institute 99 (15): 1200–9. doi:. PMID 17652276. (News article)
[edit] External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Broccoli |
- WHFoods.com: Broccoli
- PROTAbase on Brassica oleracea (cauliflower and broccoli)
- List of North-American broccoli cultivars, USDA/ARS Vegetable Laboratory

