Brussels sprout

Though native to the Mediterranean region with other cabbage species, Brussels sprouts first appeared in northern Europe during the 5th century; they were later cultivated in the 13th century near Brussels, Belgium, from which their name derives.{{cite web |last=Olver |first=Lynne |author-link=Lynne Olver |date=2011-04-11 |title=Food Timeline: Brussels sprouts |url=http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq.html#brussels |access-date=2012-04-09 |work=The Food Timeline}} The group name Gemmifera (or lowercase and italicized gemmifera as a variety name) means "bud-bearing".

The leaf vegetables are typically {{convert|1.5–4|cm|abbr=off|frac=2}} in diameter and resemble miniature cabbages.

Predecessors to modern Brussels sprouts were probably cultivated in Ancient Rome. Brussels sprouts as they are now known were grown possibly as early as the 13th century in what is now Belgium.{{cite web |last1=Realfonzo |first1=Ugo |title=A Belgian history of the Brussels sprout |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/835109/a-belgian-history-of-the-brussels-sprout |publisher=The Brussels Times |access-date=11 January 2024}} The first written reference dates to 1587.{{Cite book |last=Field |first=Robert C. |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3450400043/GVRL?u=cuny_centraloff&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=48b027d1 |title=Cambridge World History of Food |publisher=Cambridge UP |year=2000 |editor-last=Kiple |editor-first=Kenneth F. |volume=1 |pages=292 |language=en |chapter=Cruciferous and Green Leafy Vegetables |editor-last2=Ornelas |editor-first2=Kriemhild Conee |via=Gale eBooks}} During the 16th century, they enjoyed a popularity in the southern Netherlands that eventually spread throughout the cooler parts of Northern Europe, reaching Britain by the 17th century.{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=C. Anne |url=https://archive.org/details/fooddrinkinbrita0000wils/page/184/ |title=Food and drink in Britain: from the Stone Age to recent times |publisher=Harmondsworth : Penguin Books |year=1976 |isbn=9780140551013 |pages=184 |language=en}}

Brussels sprouts grow in temperature ranges of {{convert|7|–|24|C|F}}, with highest yields at {{convert|15|–|18|C|F}}. Fields are ready for harvest 90 to 180 days after planting. The edible sprouts grow like buds in helical patterns along the side of long, thick stalks of about {{convert|60|to|120|cm|abbr=off}} in height, maturing over several weeks from the lower to the upper part of the stalk. Sprouts may be picked by hand into baskets, in which case several harvests are made of five to 15 sprouts at a time, or by cutting the entire stalk at once for processing, or by mechanical harvester, depending on variety. Each stalk can produce {{convert|1.1|to|1.4|kg|abbr=off}}, although the commercial yield is about {{cvt|900|g|lb|sigfig=1}} per stalk. Harvest season in temperate zones of the northern latitudes is September to March, making Brussels sprouts a traditional winter-stock vegetable. In the home garden, harvest can be delayed as quality does not suffer from freezing. Sprouts are considered to be the sweetest after a frost.{{cite book |last=Crockett |first=James Underwood |title=Crockett's Victory Garden |location=Boston |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |year=1977 |page=[https://archive.org/details/crockettsvictory00croc/page/187 187] |isbn=0-316-16120-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/crockettsvictory00croc/page/187 }}

Brussels sprouts are a cultivar group of the same species as broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, kale, and kohlrabi; they are cruciferous (they belong to the family Brassicaceae; old name Cruciferae). Many cultivars are available; some are purple, such as 'Ruby Crunch' or 'Red Bull'.{{cite web |url= http://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Food_Gardening/Feature_Vegetables/Brussels_Sprouts/|title=Brussels sprouts|last= Rose| first= Linda|website= sonomamg.ucanr.edu| publisher= Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County, University of California| date= 2017| access-date=7 June 2017 }} The purple varieties are hybrids between purple cabbage and regular green Brussels sprouts developed by a Dutch botanist in the 1940s, yielding a variety with some of the red cabbage's purple colors and greater sweetness.{{cite news|last1=Friesema|first1=Felicia|title=What's In Season at the Farmers Market: (The End of) Purple Brussels Sprouts at Weiser Family Farms|url=http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/whats-in-season-at-the-farmers-market-the-end-of-purple-brussels-sprouts-at-weiser-family-farms-2894859|access-date=19 November 2017|work=L. A. Weekly| date= 8 February 2013}}

In the 1990s, Dutch scientist Hans van Doorn identified the chemicals that make Brussels sprouts bitter: sinigrin and progoitrin.{{Cite web |date=2010 |title=Brussels: a bittersweet story |url=https://www.soci.org/chemistry-and-industry/cni-data/2010/24/brussels-a-bittersweet-story |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=Society of Chemical Industry |language=en}} This enabled Dutch seed companies to cross-breed archived low-bitterness varieties with modern high-yield varieties, over time producing a significant increase in the popularity of the vegetable.{{cite news| url= https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/30/773457637/from-culinary-dud-to-stud-how-dutch-plant-breeders-built-our-brussels-sprouts-bo |title= From Culinary Dud To Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Built Our Brussels Sprouts Boom | website= All Things Considered | publisher= National Public Radio | via= NPR.org| first= Dan| last= Charles| date= October 30, 2019| access-date= March 30, 2020}}

In Continental Europe, the largest producers are the Netherlands (82,000 metric tons) and Germany (10,000 tons). The United Kingdom has production comparable to that of the Netherlands, but its crop is generally not exported.{{cite journal|title=The Small Market Study: Brussels Sprouts |first=S. |last=Illert |date=2004 |journal=Gemuse Munchen |volume=40 |issue=12 |pages=56–58}}

Second to the Netherlands in export volume is Mexico, where the climate allows nearly year-round production.{{cite web |title=Top Brussels Sprouts Exports by Country |url=https://www.worldstopexports.com/top-brussels-sprouts-exports-by-country/ |website=World's Top Exports |publisher=WorldsTopExports.com}} The Baja region is the main supplier to the US market, but produce also comes from the Mexicali, San Luis and coastal areas.

It is unclear when Brussels sprouts were introduced to the United States, but French settlers in Louisiana are known to have grown them. The first commercial plantings began in the Louisiana delta in 1925, and much of these plantings would move to the Californian Central Coast by 1939.{{cite web| url= http://www.uga.edu/vegetable/brusselsprouts.html |website= UGA.edu | publisher= College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia |access-date=2007-09-21 |title=Brussel Sprouts |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070913023038/http://www.uga.edu/vegetable/brusselsprouts.html |archive-date=September 13, 2007 }} Currently, several thousand acres are planted in coastal areas of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey counties of California, which offer an ideal combination of coastal fog and cool temperatures year-round. The harvest season lasts from June through January.

Most U.S. production is in California,{{cite web | last = Zeldes | first = Leah A | title = Eat this! Brussels sprouts, baby cabbages for St. Patrick's Day | website = Dining Chicago | publisher = Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. | date = 2011-03-09 | url = http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2011/03/09/eat-this-brussels-sprouts-baby-cabbages-for-st-patricks-day/ | access-date = 2011-06-30 | archive-date = 26 January 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120126135049/http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2011/03/09/eat-this-brussels-sprouts-baby-cabbages-for-st-patricks-day/ | url-status = dead }} with a smaller percentage of the crop grown in Skagit Valley, Washington, where cool springs, mild summers, and rich soil abounds, and to a lesser degree on Long Island, New York.{{cite web|url=http://www.ipmcenters.org/cropprofiles/docs/cabrusselssprouts.html |website= ipmcenters.org| publisher= United States Department of Agriculture |access-date=2007-09-21|title=Crop Profile for Brussels Sprouts in California|url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080222005739/http://www.ipmcenters.org/cropprofiles/docs/cabrusselssprouts.html |archive-date= 2008-02-22}} Total US production is around 32,000 tons, with a value of $27 million.

About 80 to 85% of U.S. production is for the frozen food market, with the remainder for fresh consumption. Once harvested, sprouts last 3–5 weeks under ideal near-freezing conditions before wilting and discoloring, and about half as long at refrigerator temperature. North American varieties are generally {{convert|2.5-5|cm|abbr=on|frac=2}} in diameter.

Raw Brussels sprouts are 86% water, 9% carbohydrates, 3% protein, and negligible fat. In a 100 gram reference amount, they supply high levels (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin C (102% DV) and vitamin K (169% DV), with more moderate amounts of B vitamins, such as vitamin B₆, as well as folate; essential minerals and dietary fiber exist in moderate to low amounts (table).

File:Brussels Sprouts alla Baronessa.jpg

The most common method of preparing Brussels sprouts for cooking begins with cutting the buds off the stalk. Any surplus stem is cut away, and any loose surface leaves are peeled and discarded.{{Cite web |title=Brussels sprouts |url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/brussels-sprouts-glossary |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Good Food |language=en}} Once cut and cleaned, the buds are typically cooked by boiling, steaming, stir-frying, grilling, slow cooking, or roasting.{{Cite web |title=How to cook brussels sprouts |url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/how-to-cook-brussels-sprouts |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Good Food |language=en}} Some cooks make a single cut or a cross in the center of the stem to aid the penetration of heat, or cut the sprouts in half to maximize the flat surface area and caramelization.{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Erin |date=2019-10-06 |title=Roasted Brussels Sprouts |url=https://www.wellplated.com/oven-roasted-brussels-sprouts/ |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Well Plated by Erin |language=en-US}} The cross-cut may, however, be ineffective, since it is commonly believed to cause the sprouts to be waterlogged when boiled.{{Cite web|title=Brussels sprouts recipes|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/brussels_sprouts|access-date=2021-04-30|website=BBC Food|language=en}}

Overcooking renders the buds gray and soft, and they then develop a strong flavor and odor that some dislike for its garlic- or onion-odor properties.{{Cite journal|pmid=28629219|year=2018|last1=Ortner|first1=E.|title=Thermally induced generation of desirable aroma-active compounds from the glucosinolate sinigrin|journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry|volume=66|issue=10|pages=2485–2490|last2=Granvogl|first2=M.|doi=10.1021/acs.jafc.7b01039}} The odor is associated with the glucosinolate sinigrin, a sulfur compound having characteristic pungency. For taste, roasting Brussels sprouts is a common way to cook them to enhance flavor.{{cite news|title=Abernethy Elementary chef taking her lessons to White House|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/abernethy_elementary_chef_taki.html | work=The Oregonian | date=2010-06-01}} Common toppings or additions include Parmesan cheese and butter, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, chestnuts, or pepper.{{Cite web |title=10 Easy Ways to Upgrade Roasted Brussels Sprouts |url=https://www.thekitchn.com/ways-to-upgrade-roasted-brussels-sprouts-261993 |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Kitchn |language=en}}

{{Gallery

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| height =180

|File:Brussels sprouts J1.jpg |Brussels sprouts at the beginning of their formation, in Wattrelos (Nord), France

|File:Brussels Sprouts ready for harvest.jpg |Brussels sprouts ready for harvest

|File:Brussels sprouts (4103982312) (2).jpg |Harvested Brussels sprouts on stalks

|File:Wesselburenerkoog rosenkohlwagen.JPG |Fresh Brussels sprouts being transported from a farm in Wesselburenerkoog, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

|File:Brussels-sprouts-on-stalk.jpg |Brussels sprouts on stalks at a farmers' market in Massachusetts

|File:BrusselsSproutColes.jpg |Brussels sprouts on a stalk at a supermarket

|File:Wet Brussels sprouts in a net.jpg |Brussels sprouts removed from the stalk and placed in a net-type bag

|File:Chou de bruxelles coupe.jpg |Brussels sprout sliced in half

|File:Roasted Brussels sprouts (49931073552).jpg|Brussels sprouts roasted over a fire

}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons|Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera}}

• [http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Brassica%20oleracea%20gemmifera Brassica oleracea gemmifera] – Plants For a Future database entry

{{Brassica oleracea}}

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Category:Brassica oleracea

Category:Edible plants

Category:Leaf vegetables

Category:Brussels

Category:Miniature versions of vegetables

Category:Belgian cuisine

Category:Belgian inventions