Broccoli

This is an Italian vegetable, another member of the cabbage family. It was popularized in this country in the early eighteenth century by a man called Stephen Switzer, who ran a seed business, importing exotic species such as cardoons, celeriac and Florence fennel. Broccoli comes in various sizes and varieties. My favourite is calabrese. This is the broccoli that grows in individual florets with a thick stalk. These really keep their colour and are very tender to eat, needing very little co