Broccoli

Generality

Broccoli are edible flowers of the herbaceous plant Brassica oleracea L., Italic variety, belonging to the C familyrockiferae. They are also known by the name of cabbage-broccoli, since they belong to the homonymous category, even if they differ considerably from most of the flowers of Brassica oleracea for its typical green or purplish appearance, more or less branchy;

in Italy, there are also local varieties of broccoli such as: the Authority, the Future, the Sicilian blue, the White, the Early of Verona, the Calabrese, the Bronzino of Albenga, the Mùgnulo Lecce and the Roman dialect.
Broccoli originates from Asia Minor but, following importation, it has been cultivated in Greece and Italy since ancient times (especially in the south).

Broccoli has a delicate but not particularly structured flavor and is a vegetable that is hardly accepted by younger diners.

Grow broccoli

Broccoli is easy to grow, both in the field and on small pieces, as long as particular attention is paid to the fertilization of the soil; broccoli are great exploiters of the earth and, as such, require early soil greasing (in autumn, with mature manure or dry manure or horn-blood-bone meal) and another contemporary to production (with rock flour or macerated d "nettle).

Nutritional values

Nutritional composition Turnip broccoli, raw And Broccoli per head, raw (wording of food composition tables - INRAN)

Nutritional composition per 100 grams of edible part Turnip broccoli [brassica rapa, cv esculenta], raw: Edible part 60% Waterfall 91.4g Proteins 2.9g Lipids TOT 0.3g Cholesterol 0.0mg TOT Carbohydrates 2.0g Starch 0.0g Soluble sugars 2.0g Dietary fiber 2.9g Power 22.0kcal Sodium - mg Potassium - mg Iron 1.5mg Football 97.0mg Phosphorus 69.0mg Thiamine 0.04mg Riboflavin 0.16mg Niacin 1.0mg Vitamin A 225.0µg C vitamin 110.0mg Vitamin E - mg

Nutritional composition per 100 grams of edible part Broccoli per head [brassica oleracea, cv botrytis caput], raw: Edible part 51% Waterfall 92.0g Proteins 3.0g Lipids TOT 0.4g Cholesterol 0.0mg TOT Carbohydrates 3.1g Starch 0.0g Soluble sugars 3.1g Dietary fiber 3.1g Power 27.0kcal Sodium 12 mg Potassium 340mg Iron 0.8mg Football 28.0mg Phosphorus 66.0mg Thiamine 0.04mg Riboflavin 0.12mg Niacin 1.8mg Vitamin A 2.0µg * C vitamin 54.0mg Vitamin E - mg * The difference in vitamin A content between the two varieties is definitely notable.

The sowing takes place in the last days of April and in May / June the seedlings (suitably spaced 50cm one from the other) must be placed in the appropriate flower beds also in association with celery. The profitability of broccoli is good because, even after the cut of the flower, the plant (near the leaf axils) continues to produce it throughout the hot season (from July to October, depending on the quality) and up to cold season (some types resist even with temperatures below 0). The broccoli flowers must be detached, or better cut, with about 8-10cm of stem (portion of the plant that vaguely recalls asparagus to the taste), absolutely before that flourish, "penalty" the compromise of edibility. Freshly picked broccoli lends itself well to freezing, preferably preceded by whitening (also called bleaching, it is a rapid blanching that does not cook the food).

Quality broccoli

Quality broccoli must meet certain visual criteria: NON inflorescence, compactness, bright color (green and not yellow), green and turgid leaves (not yellow and withered) and intact stem (tender and not woody). If broccoli satisfies these characteristics, besides being an excellent vegetable to cook, they are also excellent raw; other preparations are: boiled, baked au gratin, in velvety, sautéed, as an accompanying sauce, in minestrone etc.

Nutritional characteristics

Broccoli are vegetables that belong to both the VI and VII food groups, as they contain high amounts of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and β-carotene (retinol eq. - pro-vitamin A); by virtue of these characteristics - as well as the relative content in phenolic substances (polyphenols), of sulforaphane (generically beneficial, anti-aging and highly antioxidant substance) and chlorophyll (antioxidant) - broccoli (better if eaten raw) is a food that boasts anti-tumor characteristics.
From a saline point of view, broccoli brings excellent quantities of magnesium, phosphorus and iron; even if the latter in a poorly bioavailable form.
Broccoli is also an excellent source of dietary fiber, very useful for increasing satiety, for the prevention and symptomatological reduction of constipation, for the modulation of glucose absorption, as a prebiotic and for the reduction of cholesterol absorption.

The broccoli fiber is particularly effective if cooked and blended in the packaging of soups like velvety; in this way it is possible to partially break down and dilute the viscous fiber, amplifying its beneficial effect inside the digestive tract.
From an energy point of view, broccoli are not particularly energetic and fall within the average of vegetables, with a caloric density between 20 and 30kcal / 100g; the proteins have a low biological value and qualitatively play a marginal role, the fats are quantitatively scarce (even if mainly unsaturated) and the carbohydrates are of the monosaccharide type (fructose).
Unfortunately, broccoli is also rich in purines, a feature that TOTALLY EXCLUDES it from the diet for hyperuricemia or gout.
There is no shortage of controversy on the contamination of broccoli by nitrates (substances convertible into toxic metabolites: nitrites and nitrosamines), even if, to be honest, it is not the vegetables that contain more of it; they are richer: lettuce, kohlrabi, capuchin lettuce, cress, chard, radish, horseradish, rhubarb, beetroot, spinach, turnip greens, endive, fennel, kale, celery, white cabbage, savoy cabbage and courgette .



Velvety Broccoli

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