Italy's beloved broccoli

Super food has versatility is a healthy option to boot

Broccoli has been the most maligned vegetable in culinary history. Think about the countless generations of parents who conjure up new methods to camouflage broccoli at the dinner table in the hopes that their children will be fooled into eating it.
But the rap is ill deserved considering that broccoli is actually quite tasty in a slew of dishes and recipes. And study after study confirms that it's indeed a super food - perhaps one of the most nutritious vegetables around. You only need half a cup of cooked broccoli to receive over 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. It's also a good source of Vitamin A, Potassium, Folacin, Iron and Fiber. It also has as much calcium ounce per ounce as milk. As if this weren't enough it also contains the all important phytochemicals like beta-carotene and isothiocyanates. Essentially, these phytochemicals are important because according to medical research, they prevent cancer-causing substances from developing.
It might be hard to believe but North Americans have only been growing broccoli in their gardens for about 200 years, even though it's been around for more than 2000 years.
And its foray into North America is courtesy of Italy. In fact, this veggie has Italian ancestry - the word "broccoli" comes from the Italian brocco meaning "arm branch."
It was grown mainly in Italy since the Roman Empire until the 16th century when it was introduced to France as a result of Catherine de Medici's royal marriage to Henry II of France.
And as it was introduced to different parts of the world, its connection with the boot-shaped country was not forgotten. When the veggie was introduced to England in the 16th century, it was called "Italian asparagus." Then, in the 1800s, Italians who immigrated to the U.S. brought their beloved broccoli with them, but word spread rather slowly. It wasn't until 1922 that it got a big boost thanks to the D'Arrigo brothers, Stefano and Andrea, who were the first to introduce commercial cultivation of broccoli in the United States. Their company made some initial plantings in California, and some crates were shipped to Boston, which had a large Italian community. Broccoli caught on and the D'Arrigos sold their cultivated vegetable all over the U.S. under the brand name, "Andy Boy," which was named after Stefano's two-year-old son Andrew.
A relative of cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli should not be overcooked because it will lose a lot of its nutrients. When buying, look for broccoli that is deep green with tightly closed buds.
For a quick but flavourful pasta, sauté broccoli in olive oil with minced garlic and pepperoncino. Add to fettucine or linguine. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. You forego the pasta and just serve up the sautéed broccoli as a tasty side dish with a lot of heat! Broccoli is also great in salads and cream soups, which are a great idea to warm you up for these windy fall nights.

Publication Date: 2006-11-12
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=6761