Broccoli

Broccoli is a cool-season brassica with a thick pale-green stalk and a tight dome of emerald-green florets. Raw it is crisp and mildly sweet; cooking turns it tender and nutty, and it holds up well to roasting, stir-frying, steaming, and pureeing for soups. Cooks break crowns into florets and peel stalks into spears; it is sold as whole heads, crowns, cut florets, and frozen pieces.

Developed from wild cabbage in the Mediterranean, broccoli was refined in Italy and spread through Europe before gaining wide popularity in North America in the 20th century. Today large-scale production centers in cooler coastal regions, with steady supply supported by year-round plantings and nearby countries.