Cauliflower, broccoli, and kale are actually "brothers"

After eating them for so many years, I finally realized that cauliflower, broccoli, and kale are actually brothers!

For cauliflower, we usually call white cauliflower cauliflower, and other colors are usually classified according to color, such as green cauliflower, purple cauliflower, etc. For vegetables, we generally classify leafy vegetables such as cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and mustard as green vegetables. In fact, scientifically speaking, the vegetables mentioned above are all cabbage vegetables. Today, the editor will mainly popularize the knowledge of cabbage-type vegetables. Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), belongs to the Cruciferae family and the Brassica genus, is native to the eastern coast of the Mediterranean and is a close relative of rapeseed. Cabbage originated from the coast of the Mediterranean to the North Sea and evolved from non-heading wild cabbage. As early as more than 4,000 years ago, some types of wild cabbage had been cultivated, and it is said that it was first eaten by the ancient Romans and ancient Greeks. In the 9th century, some non-heading types of cabbage were widely cultivated in Europe. After a long period of artificial cultivation and selection, cabbage and its close relatives, such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, etc., gradually evolved. Cabbage appeared in Europe in the 13th century, was introduced to the United States in the 17th century, and was introduced to Japan in the 19th century. There are still different opinions on when cabbage was introduced to China.

The cruciferous family and the genus Brassica are divided into three types: cabbage type, mustard type, and kale type. Each type includes many different vegetables, such as the cabbage type includes cabbage, green cabbage, cauliflower, chicken hair cabbage, and milk cabbage.

Mustard types include Shandong mustard, Chinese mustard, mustard, and oil mustard.

Cabbage types include kale, cabbage, purple cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. Cabbage has many thick basal leaves, which can be wrapped into a ball, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, purple cabbage, etc. There are also some cabbages that do not form balls, such as kale, etc. Some cabbages do not eat leaves, but only their flowers, such as cauliflower and broccoli.

01

brocoli

First, let's look at the cauliflower we are most familiar with, also known as broccoli (scientific name: Brassica oleracea var.botrytis Linnaeus). It is a variant of the Brassica plant of the Cruciferae family, also known as cauliflower and cauliflower. Cauliflower evolved from wild cabbage, and its evolutionary center is on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. In 1490, the Gelayans introduced cauliflower from Levant and Cyprus to Italy, and propagated seeds in the area around the Bay of Naples. In the 17th century, it spread to Germany, France and Britain. In 1822, it spread from Britain to India, and in the mid-19th century it spread to southern China. In 1875, it spread to Japan. In the later stage of cauliflower growth, the flower buds at the top of the stem swell to form a flower ball. This flower ball is composed of swollen flower mosses, flower stems and pedicels. The flower buds that form the flower have not yet differentiated at this time. Everyone squeezes together to form a large flower ball of "original flower buds". The part we eat is its flower axis, pedicels and undifferentiated flower buds. Cauliflower is rich in vitamins A, C, minerals such as potassium, calcium, selenium, beta-carotene and fiber, and is low in calories. Eating more can enhance immunity and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and several types of cancer. In addition to white cauliflower, there is also a purple cauliflower, which was cultivated by the Fengshan Horticultural Experiment Station in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2013 and launched in Taiwan in 2014. It is rich in anthocyanins and VA, VB1, VB2, VC, has strong antioxidant properties, is low in crude fiber, has fine buds, and tastes excellent.

In addition to the above two types of cauliflower, there is another type of cauliflower called Roman cauliflower, commonly known as green pagoda. It was discovered in Italy in the 16th century and was introduced to China by Huazhong Agricultural University in 1991.

The surface of Roman cauliflower is composed of many spiral florets, which are arranged in pairs with the center of the cauliflower as the axis of symmetry. Its magic lies in its regular and unique shape, which has become a famous fractal geometry model, and has attracted countless mathematicians and physicists to study it. This variety of cauliflower is the most important irregular fractal vegetable. Its pattern is a natural representative of the Fibonacci sequence, or the golden spiral (a logarithmic spiral, with florets arranged in a spiral with the center of the cauliflower as the axis of symmetry). In terms of taste, it is sweeter than cauliflower and has a rich taste, making it a rare vegetable delicacy.

02

Broccoli

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.var.italica Plenck) is a plant of the genus Brassica in the family Cruciferae. It has a thick taproot base and a well-developed root system. Broccoli is native to Italy. It is widely cultivated in Italy, Britain, France, and the Netherlands. Broccoli was introduced to the United States in the early 19th century and later to Japan. It is cultivated in countries around the world. Like cauliflower, it is a variety of cabbage with a stalk and flower variation, but the flower buds of broccoli are fully differentiated. If you look closely, you can see that the top of its stem is not a small particle, but a bunch of flower buds.

Compared to cauliflower, broccoli is more expensive and often appears in vegetable salads. It looks very high-end and is highly praised as an "anti-cancer vegetable". In fact, it is not much different from white cauliflower in nutrition. Both are vegetables with relatively high nutritional value. It should also be noted that broccoli and cauliflower are rich in vitamin B and vitamin C, and are not suitable for high-temperature cooking or boiling. The broccoli in some light salads seems to be uncooked, in fact, to retain more beneficial substances.

03

Cabbage (Chinese cabbage) generally refers to kale, and in the family classification, it belongs to the cultivated variety series of "cabbage" (Brassica oleracea var. capitata). It is native to the northern Mediterranean. Because it likes a mild and cool climate and is not resistant to heat, the suitable temperature for growth is 10℃-20℃. It grows slowly above 25℃. It is not resistant to drought and waterlogging. It requires loose and fertile soil types; it is suitable for growing in gardens with good drainage and fertile soil. It is cultivated all over China and is the most widely planted variety in the cabbage family. Why is it called cabbage? I believe that everyone can guess the reason for this name by looking at its appearance. During the growth process of cabbage, the leaves will present two different forms, one is called "roset leaves" and the other is called "heading leaves". In the early stage of cabbage growth, the leaves will not be wrapped up, but unfolded like a green lotus, so it is called rosette leaves. When the leaves grow to 17-30 pieces, the inner leaves wrap around each other, and the petioles gradually shorten or even disappear. Such leaves are called head leaves. Cabbage will concentrate all the nutrients produced by the rosette leaves and the water absorbed by the roots on the head, so the cabbage we eat tastes crisp, tender and delicious. It is commonly known as "big turnip" in Northeast China and "lotus white" in Yunnan.

04

Purple Cabbage

The only difference between purple cabbage and white cabbage is the color. The reason why purple cabbage is purple is that it is rich in purple anthocyanins. Anthocyanins have the effects of anti-oxidation, inhibiting inflammatory response, preventing metabolic diseases, and improving vision.

05

Mustard (gài) indigo

After reading the previous article, you may think that cabbage plants are generally round and plump, which is a bit one-sided. In the cabbage family, there is also a slender brother - kale.

Kale, also known as white cabbage (scientific name: Brassica oleracea var.albiflora Kuntze), is a plant of the cruciferous family and the genus Brassica. The origin is unknown. It is commonly cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan and other places in China. Kale is a specialty vegetable in South China. The meat of white cabbage is crisp, tender, sweet, nutritious, and high in anti-cancer substances. It has always been favored by people in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and is also exported to Japan, Southeast Asia and other countries. Su Shi once said: "Kale is like mushrooms, crisp and beautiful, and it makes your teeth and cheeks ring." He used shiitake mushrooms to describe the delicious taste of kale. Recently, Science and Technology Daily quoted a report from the Organization of Physicists that a latest experimental result by American researchers showed that sulforaphane, which is rich in broccoli and other cruciferous plants, can reduce the number of viral replications by 50%, and is expected to become an effective weapon against the new coronavirus and the common cold virus. Sulforaphane is particularly rich in plants such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale. Previous scientific studies have found that sulforaphane can prevent cancer and infection by interfering with certain cellular processes. In the latest experiment, the research team infected cells with the new coronavirus and the common cold coronavirus. The results showed that low concentrations of sulforaphane can reduce the number of copies of six new coronavirus strains and cold viruses by 50%; studies on mouse models infected with the new coronavirus showed that sulforaphane can significantly reduce weight loss associated with viral infection.

Interesting fact: Carrots do not belong to the cruciferous family?

Everyone knows that vegetables such as cabbage, kale, mustard greens, and radish belong to the cruciferous family. But did you know that carrots are also radishes, but they are very special. They do not belong to the cruciferous family, but to the genus Daucus in the Apiaceae family. Unexpectedly, right? The carrots we have been eating for so many years are actually an outlier among radishes!

(Source: Guokr, Bowu, Baidu Encyclopedia, Science Popularization China, "High-quality and High-efficiency Cultivation of Chinese Cabbage, Kale, and Cauliflower")