| Scientific name:: | Brassica oleracea var. italica |
| German name: | Brokkoli |
| Other names: | Brokkoli, Brassica oleracea, Brassica Oleracea Italica Group, Brassica oleracea var. italica, Brocoli, Brócoli, Broccoli Flower, Calabrese, Purple Sprouting Broccoli |
| Classification: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Cabbage |
| Season: | July - November |
Broccoli, with its eye-catching appearance and asparagus-like taste, has always been able to impress tastes as a raw vegetable in salads or with a dip, steamed as a side vegetable or crispy fried. With its high vitamin C content, virtually no fat content and proven anti-cancer properties, broccoli is a true miracle vegetable that cannot be served often enough.
Quantity per 100 grams
| Calories | 34 |
| Fat content | 0,4 g |
| Saturated fatty acids | 0 g |
| Polyunsaturated fatty acids | 0 g |
| Monounsaturated fatty acids | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 33 mg |
| Potassium | 316 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g |
| Roughage | 2,6 g |
| Sugar | 1,7 g |
| Protein | 2,8 g |
The broccoli is the first and noblest breeding result that has emerged from the cauliflower. Although the ancient Greeks cultivated broccoli a long time ago, it owes its name to its inventors in ancient Rome (around 753 BC - 476 AD). Although broccoli was first cultivated in Central Europe 200 years ago, it was soon forgotten again. The reasons are unknown.
The broccoli is mainly cultivated in Germany, Italy, southern Sweden, Spain, France, Cyprus, Crete and the USA.
The easily digestible broccoli promotes digestion, detoxifies the body and lowers blood pressure. Thanks to the secondary plant substance Sulphoraohan and selenium, broccoli has been proven to protect against cancer and is a particularly effective fat and stress killer.
Women who are pregnant or who use the contraceptive pill and people who regularly take medication should put broccoli on their diet as often as possible due to its high folic acid content.
Already 200 g broccoli cover the daily vitamin C requirement of an adult. For children a much smaller portion of their unloved cabbage is sufficient.
Broccoli is not only used as a vegetable garnish, it can also be distorted raw or steamed in salad. First, the broccoli florets should be placed in salted water for a quarter of an hour to dissolve any small animals. The stems can be eaten with the broccoli, but they need a longer time for cooking and should be cut crosswise. This way they can cook faster and finish the florets at the same time.
Broccoli should only be steamed crisply and not boiled, as the high vitamin C content and other valuable nutrients are reduced by up to 80% when the heat is too high.
When the former president of the USA, George Bush (sen.), made a public statement about the taste of broccoli years ago, the turnover of the farmers who cultivated broccoli suddenly collapsed by 2 billion dollars in the following year. Subsequent scientific studies then confirmed that the cauliflower plant was extremely healthy contrary to current knowledge and contained a lot of cancer-inhibiting substances. This was followed by a new boom in broccoli, which has lasted to this day.
Broccoli can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days at the most, as it ripens very strongly and loses almost all its vitamins and nutrients within a short time. In addition, it turns yellow and loses its moisture, so that the florets become yellow and dry feather duster. Broccoli is also very sensitive to ethylene, which accelerates the post-ripening process many times over. It should therefore never be stored with apples, avocados, tomatoes, citrus fruits and other plants that release ethylene.