Broccoli is an edible green plant in the cabbage family whose large flowering

head is eaten as a vegetable.

The word broccoli comes from the Italian plural of broccolo, which means "the
flowering crest of a cabbage", and is the diminutive form of brocco, meaning
"small nail" or "sprout".[3] Broccoli is often boiled or steamed but may be eaten
raw.[4]

Broccoli is classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica

oleracea. Broccoli has large flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a
tree-like structure branching out from a thick, edible stalk. The mass of flower
heads is surrounded by leaves. Broccoli resembles cauliflower, which is a
different cultivar group of the same species.

Broccoli is a result of careful breeding of cultivated Brassica crops in the

northern Mediterranean starting in about the 6th century BC.[5] Since the time
of the Roman Empire, broccoli has been considered a uniquely valuable food
among Italians.[6] Broccoli was brought to England from Antwerp in the mid-
18th century by Peter Scheemakers.[7] Broccoli was first introduced to the
United States by Southern Italian immigrants, but did not become widely
popular until the 1920s.[8]

Contents

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1Varieties

2Production

o 2.1Cultivation

o 2.2Pests

3Nutrition

4Taste
 5Gallery

6See also

7References

8External links

Varieties

Broccoli plants in a nursery

There are three commonly grown types of broccoli. The most familiar
is Calabrese broccoli, often referred to simply as "broccoli", named
after Calabria in Italy. It has large (10 to 20 cm) green heads and thick stalks.
It is a cool season annual crop. Sprouting broccoli has a larger number of
heads with many thin stalks. 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.

Other cultivar groups of Brassica oleracea include cabbage (Capitata

Group), cauliflower and Romanesco broccoli (Botrytis Group), kale and collard
greens (Acephala Group), kohlrabi (Gongylodes Group), Brussels
sprouts (Gemmifera Group), andkai-lan (Alboglabra Group).[9] Rapini,
sometimes called "broccoli raab" among other names, forms similar but
smaller heads, and is actually a type of turnip (Brassica rapa). Broccolini or
"Tenderstem broccoli" is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli.
Benefort is a variety of broccoli containing 23 times
more glucoraphanin that was produced by crossing broccoli with a
wild Brassica variety, Brassica oleracea var villosa.[10]

Production

Major producers of broccoli[11]

(combined with cauliflowers) in millions of tonnes

Country Production

People's Republic of China 9.1

India 7.9

Spain 0.5

Mexico 0.5

Italy 0.4

World 22.3

In 2013, global production of broccoli (combined for production reports

with cauliflowers) was 22.3 million tonnes, with China and India together
accounting for 76% of the total (table).[11] Secondary producers, each having
about 0.5 million tonnes annually, were Spain, Mexico and Italy (table).[11]

Cultivation
Broccoli is a cool-weather crop that does poorly in hot summer weather.
Broccoli grows best when exposed to an average daily temperature between
18 and 23 C (64 and 73 F).[12] When the cluster of flowers, also referred to as
a "head" of broccoli, appear in the center of the plant, the cluster is green.
Garden pruners or shears are used to cut the head about an inch from the tip.
Broccoli should be harvested before the flowers on the head bloom bright
yellow.[13]

While the heading broccoli variety performs poorly in hot weather, mainly due
to insect infestation, the sprouting variety is more resistant, though attention
must be paid to sucking insects (such as aphids), caterpillars and whiteflies.
Spraying of bacillus thuringiensis can control caterpillar attacks, while a
citronella vase may ward off whiteflies.[14]

Pests

Mostly introduced by accident, "cabbage worms", the larvae of Pieris rapae,

the small white butterfly are a common pest in broccoli.

Nutrition

Broccoli, raw (edible parts)

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 141 kJ (34 kcal)

Carbohydrates 6.64 g

Sugars 1.7 g

Dietary fiber 2.6 g

Fat 0.37 g
Protein 2.82 g

Vitamins

Vitamin A equiv. (4%)

beta-carotene 31 g
lutein zeaxanthin (3%)
361 g
1403 g

Thiamine (B1) (6%)

0.071 mg

Riboflavin (B2) (10%)

0.117 mg

Niacin (B3) (4%)

0.639 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5) (11%)

0.573 mg

Vitamin B6 (13%)
0.175 mg

Folate (B9) (16%)

63 g

Vitamin C (107%)
89.2 mg

Vitamin E (5%)
0.78 mg

Vitamin K (97%)
101.6 g
Minerals

Calcium (5%)
47 mg

Iron (6%)
0.73 mg

Magnesium (6%)
21 mg

Manganese (10%)
0.21 mg

Phosphorus (9%)
66 mg

Potassium (7%)
316 mg

Sodium (2%)
33 mg

Zinc (4%)
0.41 mg

Other constituents

Water 89.3 g

Full Link to USDA Database entry

Units

g = micrograms mg = milligrams
 IU = International units

Percentages are roughly approximated

usingUS recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

As shown on the table, a 100 gram serving of raw broccoli provides 34 kcal
and is an excellent source (20% or higher of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin
C and vitamin K. Raw broccoli also contains moderate amounts (1019% DV)
of severalB vitamins and the dietary mineral manganese, whereas
other essential nutrients are in low content. Broccoli has low content
of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and dietary fiber.

Boiling broccoli reduces the levels of sulforaphane, with losses of 2030%

after five minutes, 4050% after ten minutes, and 77% after thirty minutes.[15]
[16]
However, other preparation methods such as steaming,[16][17] microwaving,
and stir frying had no significant effect on the compounds.[15]

Broccoli also contains the carotenoid compounds lutein and zeaxanthin in

amounts about 6 times lower than in kale.

Taste

The perceived bitterness of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli varies

from person to person, but the functional underpinnings of this variation are
not known. Some research reports that the gene TAS2R38 may be
responsible for bitter taste perception in broccoli.[18] Other factors, such
as isothiocyanates and polyphenols, are also likely involved in bitterness
perception