# Do you Know Where Brussel Sprouts Come From? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 22, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339 "2020-04-22T13:00:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/1 "2020-04-22T13:00:09Z")
Famously, a few years ago a number of Dopers admitted they thought pineapples came from trees. Funny how some little bits of knowledge passes us by. My wife and I were just talking about the new, tastier cultivars of brussel sprouts. Do you have any idea at all what they look like on the hoof? Do you? [Look at this thing!](https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/PilEKvvJHCg/maxresdefault.jpg) It looks like something a forest gnome might use as a baton. Seriously, how did I not know that? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/2 "2020-04-22T13:24:39Z")
I’ve bought them this way at Trader Joe’s. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/3 "2020-04-22T13:28:44Z")
Belgium? ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/4 "2020-04-22T13:36:30Z")
They are actually called “Brussels” sprouts, so I’ll guess Brussels, Belgium. Seriously, I’ve never seen them in the wild. Cool picture. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/5 "2020-04-22T13:39:33Z")
I learned about that a long time ago. I did originally imagine rows of brussels sprouts growing like little cabbages. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/6 "2020-04-22T13:39:58Z")
You can find them sold at many stores like that. Brussels sprouts are the same species as kale, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, and collard greens; a versatile plant. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/7 "2020-04-22T14:09:45Z")
I’ve never seen that either. Bizarre! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/8 "2020-04-22T14:18:54Z")
I believe that they were originally hand-delivered to Adam and Eve by a minion from Hell as a curse to plague mankind for all eternity. But that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/9 "2020-04-22T14:39:46Z")
Yeah, I knew. And learned it long enough ago I have no recollection of learning it or being surprised. I also know it’s the same species as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and so on and so forth, _Brassica oleracea_. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/10 "2020-04-22T14:54:40Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I believe that they were originally hand-delivered to Adam and Eve by a minion from Hell as a curse to plague mankind for all eternity. But that’s just me. You are mistaken, I think. New varieties of these animals are now on-line. They are higher in sugar and much tastier. Give them a try next time you are going out for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/11 "2020-04-22T14:58:45Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I believe that they were originally hand-delivered to Adam and Eve by a minion from Hell as a curse to plague mankind for all eternity. But that’s just me. Yes, and then God came to them in a dream and told them to split them, sprinkle with olive oil and Parmesan cheese and bake. Heavenly! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/12 "2020-04-22T15:04:17Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > You can find them sold at many stores like that. Brussels sprouts are the same species as kale, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, and collard greens; a versatile plant. I once collectivized them as cabbages. Wife corrected me, saying they’re all mustards. Burpee, IIRC, used to sell a breed with a stem so long and stout you could defend a bridge with it. ---
**Author:** ![DrForrester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@DrForrester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrForrester)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/13 "2020-04-22T15:28:03Z")
That’s human intervention for you. We’ve taken a single plant and created many variations. Cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts… Talk about your GMOs. I’m not sure there’s a plant that we use industrially for food that hasn’t been significantly altered over the years. You know about [bananas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana#/media/File:Inside_a_wild-type_banana.jpg), right? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/14 "2020-04-22T15:34:40Z")
Lettuce? Without looking it up, I would have suspected it to be unrelated to the others. But like the crops you listed, modern lettuce is a long way from its ancient origins. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/15 "2020-04-22T15:38:17Z")
They grow lots of them on the coast north of Santa Cruz. Used to see them all the time when I lived in that area long ago. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/16 "2020-04-22T15:41:38Z")
My dad used to grow them, so yes, I know what they look like on the hoof. Cool example of selecting different strains of more-or-less the same plant to create lots of foods. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/17 "2020-04-22T15:42:59Z")
It’s pretty common for supermarkets around here to sell Brussels sprouts on the stalk. I wonder if that’s just a California thing. Or if it’s related to the fact that Brussels sprouts are grown around this area; in fact there’s a farm that grows them a couple miles from my house. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/18 "2020-04-22T15:46:04Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I believe that they were originally hand-delivered to Adam and Eve by a minion from Hell as a curse to plague mankind for all eternity. But that’s just me. My husband would agree with you! I find them quite tasty when they are seasoned and roasted properly (ever so much better than the ones my roommate used to get from the cafeteria in college, which looked like boiled brains and smelled like old sweat socks. Erg). ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/19 "2020-04-22T16:02:28Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I once collectivized them as cabbages. Wife corrected me, saying they’re all mustards. > > Burpee, IIRC, used to sell a breed with a stem so long and stout you could defend a bridge with it. Your wife corrected you wrongly then. They are all cabbages. They are also mustards, but so are a bunch of things that aren’t _Brassica oleracea_. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/20 "2020-04-22T16:04:07Z")
> [@DrForrester](#): > > That’s human intervention for you. We’ve taken a single plant and created many variations. Cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts… Talk about your GMOs. I’m not sure there’s a plant that we use industrially for food that hasn’t been significantly altered over the years. > > You know about [bananas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana#/media/File:Inside_a_wild-type_banana.jpg), right? > [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Lettuce? Without looking it up, I would have suspected it to be unrelated to the others. But like the crops you listed, modern lettuce is a long way from its ancient origins. There are a lot of _brassica olerace_a and lettuce is not a plant species, but I’m not finding anything called lettuce that is also a _brassica oleracea_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339.md?page=2)