Editing Broccoli (section)

{{Short description|Edible green plant in the cabbage family}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox cultivar
| name = Broccoli
| image = Broccoli and cross section edit.jpg
| image_size =
| image_caption =
| species = ''[[Brassica oleracea]]''
| group = Italica
| origin = [[Roman Italy|Italy]], more than 2,000 years ago<ref name="OTB">{{cite journal|title=Origin and taxonomy of broccoli|last=Buck|first=P. A.|journal=Economic Botany|volume=10|issue=3|pages=250–253|date=1956|doi=10.1007/bf02899000|s2cid=31365713}}</ref><ref name="JSUOF">{{cite web|url=http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv031|title=Broccoli—Brassica oleracea L. (Italica group)|last=Stephens|first=James|publisher=University of Florida|page=1|access-date=14 May 2009|archive-date=25 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225193103/http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv031|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

'''Broccoli''' (''[[Brassica oleracea]]'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the [[Brassicaceae|cabbage family]] (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large [[Pseudanthium|flowering head]], [[plant stem|stalk]] and small associated [[leafy greens|leaves]] are eaten as a [[vegetable]]. Broccoli is classified in the [[Brassica_oleracea#Cultivar_groups|Italica]] [[cultivar group]] of the species ''[[Brassica oleracea]]''. Broccoli has large [[flower head]]s, or florets, usually dark green, arranged in a tree-like structure branching out from a thick [[plant stem|stalk]], which is usually light green. Leaves surround the mass of flower heads. Broccoli resembles [[cauliflower]], a different but closely related cultivar group of the same ''Brassica'' species.

It can be eaten either raw or cooked. Broccoli is a particularly rich source of [[vitamin C]] and [[vitamin K]]. Contents of its characteristic [[sulfur]]-containing [[glucosinolate]] compounds, [[isothiocyanate]]s and [[sulforaphane]], are diminished by boiling but are better preserved by [[steaming]], [[microwave|microwaving]] or [[stir-fry]]ing.<ref name="Nugrahedi">{{cite journal|last1=Nugrahedi|first1=Probo Y.|last2=Verkerk|first2=Ruud|last3=Widianarko|first3=Budi|last4=Dekker|first4=Matthijs|title=A Mechanistic Perspective on Process-Induced Changes in Glucosinolate Content in Brassica Vegetables: A Review|journal=Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition|volume=55|issue=6|date=2015|issn=1040-8398|pmid=24915330|doi=10.1080/10408398.2012.688076|pages=823–838|s2cid=25728864|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262977227}}</ref>

[[Rapini]], sometimes called "broccoli rabe", is a distinct species from broccoli, forming similar but smaller heads, and is actually a type of [[turnip]] (''[[Brassica rapa]]'').<ref>{{Cite web|last=Main|first=Sandy|title=Rapini/Broccoli Raab|url=https://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/The_Kitchen_Garden/Feature_Vegetables/Rapini_Broccoli_Raab/|url-status=live|access-date=13 September 2021|website=sonomamg.ucanr.edu|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530100002/http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/The_Kitchen_Garden/Feature_Vegetables/Rapini_Broccoli_Raab/ |archive-date=30 May 2015 }}</ref>
[[File:Broccoli plants growing in New Jersey in April.jpg|thumb|right|Broccoli plants in a nursery]]
[[File:sa broccoli florets.jpg|thumb|Close-ups of broccoli florets (click to enlarge)]]