Broccolini

Broccolini, Aspabroc, Bimi, baby broccoli or tenderstem broccoli, is a green vegetable similar to broccoli but with smaller florets and longer, thin stalks. It is a hybrid of broccoli and gai lan (which is sometimes referred to as "Chinese kale" or "Chinese broccoli"), both of them cultivar groups of Brassica oleracea. In the United States, the name Broccolini is a registered trademark of Mann Packing.

Broccolini, Aspabroc, Bimi, baby broccoli or tenderstem broccoli, is a green vegetable similar to broccoli but with smaller florets and longer, thin stalks. It is a hybrid of broccoli and gai lan (which is sometimes referred to as "Chinese kale" or "Chinese broccoli"), both of them cultivar groups of Brassica oleracea. In the United States, the name Broccolini is a registered trademark of Mann Packing.

Culinary use

The entire vegetable (leaves, young stems, unopened flower shoots, and flowers) is edible. Its flavor is sweet, with notes of both broccoli and asparagus, although it is not closely related to the latter. Common cooking methods include sautéing, steaming, boiling, and stir frying. According to a 2005 study assessing how Australians cooked broccolini, the majority used steaming, with fewer choosing stir-frying, and a small minority ate it raw or in a salad.

Production

Growth and distribution

Broccolini takes 50–60 days to grow after being transplanted. It is harvested once the heads are fully developed but are not flowering. By cutting off the head, the harvest time is extended as new side shoots of smaller heads will grow. Unlike other cruciferous vegetables, which are harvested once per growth cycle, broccolini is harvested 3 to 5 times in a growth cycle, depending on growing conditions. Further unlike broccoli, the stalk is inedible; rather, the side shoots are harvested and consumed. After being harvested, the produce is cooled to , preventing the flower heads developing to maintain quality. Shelf life can be further extended with the use of modified atmosphere packaging. In the United States, broccolini is grown in California during the summer and in Arizona during the winter.

Produce reference

The International Federation for Produce Standards assigns it the price look-up code 3277, "baby broccoli". It is also known as asparation, asparations, "sweet baby broccoli", broccoletti, and broccolette "Italian sprouting broccoli". It is sold under the registered trademarks Bimi and Tenderstem.

See also

Rapini

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1371974610 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.