Broccoli Man Made: Uncovering the Delicious Origins
– Broccoli is a human invention and not found in the wild for foraging.
– It is believed that early varieties of broccoli were cultivated in the Mediterranean region during the Roman Empire in the 6th century BCE.
– Broccoli continued to be improved through artificial selection in parts of Italy during the 16th century.
– Broccoli was introduced in other parts of Europe in the 16th century and eventually cultivated in those areas.
– It was brought over to the United States in the 17th century but not grown commercially until the 1920s.
– Broccoli is a derivative of the Brassica oleracea, also known as wild cabbage or wild mustard.
– Farmers used selective breeding or artificial selection to improve the palatability of wild mustard and emphasize certain desirable traits.
– Selective breeding is a lengthy process that involves propagating plants with favorable characteristics and eventually producing a cultivar with desired traits.
– Selective breeding is used to improve taste, yield, disease and pest resistance, and environmental adaptability.
– Many vegetables in the Brassiceae family are actually cultivars of wild mustard.