National Broccoli Day

Broccoli, a cruciferous vegetable in the brassica family along with vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower, is celebrated today with National Broccoli Day. Its name comes from the Latin word brachium, meaning "strong arm or branch," and the Italian word broccolo, meaning "the flowering crest." Broccoli is native to the Mediterranean region, being created from a cabbage strain by the Etruscans, an Italian civilization that lived in what is now Tuscany. Modern broccoli cultivars were grown by the Romans. Broccoli was being eaten in Northern Europe by the mid-eighteenth century, and it became known as Italian asparagus in England.

It first turned up in the Americas when Thomas Jefferson grew it at Monticello, but it was introduced to Americans in earnest by Italian immigrants in the nineteenth century. With the breeding of new United States and Japanese F1 hybrids following World War II, yields, growth speed, regional adaptation, and quality increased, with breeds like marathon, packman, and premium crop emerging.

Both the head, made up of florets, and the stem are highly nutritious. Broccoli is low in calories and contains vitamins C and K, fiber, folate, and beta-carotene that is converted to vitamin A. It also has potassium, magnesium, manganese, calcium, and iron. It has antioxidants that may help protect against cancer and other diseases and benefit the body in other ways. Broccoli is also beneficial for eye and heart health and may lower cholesterol.

Broccoli can be eaten raw or cooked, and is used in a number of dishes, although it may have the most health benefits when steamed. Common broccoli dishes include broccoli cheese soup, broccoli with melted cheese, quiche with broccoli, and broccoli stir-fry, and broccoli is also commonly used in lettuce, vegetable, and pasta salads. Broccoli is enjoyed in these and other ways on National Broccoli Day!

How to Observe National Broccoli Day

Enjoy some foods that contain broccoli:

• broccoli cheese soup
• steamed broccoli
• broccoli with melted cheese
• lettuce salad with broccoli
• broccoli quiche
• broccoli stir-fry
• broccoli salad
• pasta salad
• one of many other broccoli recipes

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