# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/21 "2020-04-22T16:08:55Z")
I’ve grown them so I do know. Lettuce is not a Brassica. But the variety of edible Brassicas, not just oleraceae, is remarkable. I think it includes turnip and even mustard. Mustard greens are delicious, BTW. Quite nippy. I once tried to make mustard from the seed, but it came out rather bitter. ---
**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, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/22 "2020-04-22T16:10:46Z")
Lettuce comes in many varieties. I was taught it was the ‘bitter herb’ in Jewish ritual. Since I am familiar with at least a few of its manifestations, I suspect it is not related to cabbage. ---
**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, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/23 "2020-04-22T16:26:23Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > 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). Paul in Qatar mentioned this; new cultivars of Brussels sprouts were developed in the 1990s which are less bitter than the old ones. If someone hasn’t tasted Brussels sprouts in many years, they may be surprised at how they taste now. > **[From Culinary Dud To Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Built Our Brussels...](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/30/773457637/from-culinary-dud-to-stud-how-dutch-plant-breeders-built-our-brussels-sprouts-bo)** > > Brussels sprouts used to be scorned. Now they're trendy. And one reason for their renaissance sits tucked away in a basement storage room in the Netherlands. ---
**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, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/24 "2020-04-22T17:07:36Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Paul in Qatar mentioned this; new cultivars of Brussels sprouts were developed in the 1990s which are less bitter than the old ones. If someone hasn’t tasted Brussels sprouts in many years, they may be surprised at how they taste now. > > [From Culinary Dud To Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Built Our Brussels Sprouts Boom : The Salt : NPR](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/30/773457637/from-culinary-dud-to-stud-how-dutch-plant-breeders-built-our-brussels-sprouts-bo) Well, cooking them by boiling the snot out of them until they are gray has never been helpful at any time. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/25 "2020-04-22T17:09:00Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Lettuce comes in many varieties. I was taught it was the ‘bitter herb’ in Jewish ritual. Since I am familiar with at least a few of its manifestations, I suspect it is not related to cabbage. [Lettuce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettuce) is unrelated to cabbage, mustard, and other members of the [Brassicaceae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassicaceae) (Cruciferae). Instead it belongs to the Asteraceae (Compositae) the same family as dandelions and daisies. ---
**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, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/26 "2020-04-22T17:15:39Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > 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. A hemorrhoid from Satan’s anus is still a non-starter for me. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/27 "2020-04-22T17:20:05Z")
We usually grow a few stalks. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/28 "2020-04-22T17:29:09Z")
It’s hard to believe that the brassicas are all one family until you see a bunch of very different ones that have gone to flower, then it’s a big “Ah-HA!” moment because the flowers are all basically very much the same. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/29 "2020-04-22T17:32:54Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > 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! Where’s the bacon? But yes, Brussels sprouts can be delicious when prepared correctly. Which means don’t let a Brit or your grandmother anywhere near them! ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/30 "2020-04-22T17:38:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Where’s the bacon? > > But yes, Brussels sprouts can be delicious when prepared correctly. Which means don’t let a Brit or your grandmother anywhere near them! No cabbage family plant is improved by boiling. Just brings out the sulfur. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/31 "2020-04-22T18:42:58Z")
Another weird product-of-a-plant is the peanut! I explained to my son not too long ago that he would never, ever find a peanut tree! When I told him of the plant, and how they grew, he looked at me like I had two heads. I had to go online and let Wikipedia show him that I wasn’t telling him a fairy tale. The Son is in his thirties, LOL. There should be a museum of weird plants! ~VOW ---
**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, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/32 "2020-04-22T18:49:31Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > No cabbage family plant is improved by boiling. Just brings out the sulfur. One of the staples in my kidney-friendly diet is boiled cabbage - delicious with other ingredients, and no sulfur. I LOVE brussels sprouts from the stalk. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/33 "2020-04-22T18:53:44Z")
Does anyone remember the episode of Monty Python, in which the characters are on a TV show that thinks up insults for different nationalities? This time it was Belgium, and the suggested insult was “Sprouts” But they changed their minds and settled on “Those dirty Belgian bastards.” ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/34 "2020-04-22T18:58:45Z")
I only last week learned what cashews look like in the wild. World shattered. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/35 "2020-04-22T19:47:14Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Another weird product-of-a-plant is the peanut! I explained to my son not too long ago that he would never, ever find a peanut tree! When I told him of the plant, and how they grew, he looked at me like I had two heads. I had to go online and let Wikipedia show him that I wasn’t telling him a fairy tale. > > The Son is in his thirties, LOL. > > There should be a museum of weird plants! > ~VOW Some weirdo in my neighborhood obviously puts copious amounts of peanuts out for the squirrels. How do I know this? Because the idiotic critters bury them everywhere and every spring there are peanut plants popping up in every flower bed. I think this year I’m going to grub them up intact and establish a patch of them, see if I can harvest much of a crop. Squirrels are dopes. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/36 "2020-04-22T20:12:32Z")
I’ve grown them also, not very successfully in California, much better when I lived in Louisiana. Delicious with bacon. But don’t let anyone British near them. I had them once in the Barbicon Center in London before a concert, and they were still awful and still boiled. ---
**Author:** ![PlumBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@PlumBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlumBob)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/37 "2020-04-22T20:34:28Z")
I didn’t know what brussel sprouts looked like “on the vine” until I planted a couple of innocent looking seedlings. Imagine my surprise when they turned into mutant baseball bats from hell. I also didn’t know you’re supposed to trim the tops, I had some four footers by the time summer ended. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/38 "2020-04-22T20:54:08Z")
Another close relative of the cabbages (different species, but same genus) is rapeseed, AKA canola. And yes, I know what they look like when growing. My mom’s a serious gardener. And they’ve tasted good for my entire life, if prepared properly (i.e., not British boiled grey mush). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/39 "2020-04-22T21:06:48Z")
As a kid, I actually mixed up bean sprouts and brussel sprouts. There was all this talk about Brussels sprouts, and then there were these things on the salad bar which I asked what they were, and the main thing I heard was “sprouts.” So, for the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why anyone complained about Brussels sprouts. (But since I liked broccoli and spinach, with others seemed to hate, I assumed it was just me.) When I finally did discover brussel sprouts, I only remember them tasting like small, more potent cabbages. I don’t know if these were the reduced bitter variety. (It would have been in the early to mid 1990s) But I thought they were just okay. _(I intentionally varied between the prescriptive and descriptive spellings of the term throughout the post, for shits and nerdy giggles.)_ ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/40 "2020-04-23T08:46:00Z")
We did this a few years ago too. [Educate me on one of the finer points of botany, please (Brussels sprouts)](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=690890), OP by **kaylasdad99** , 5/13/2013. > [@Educate me on one of the finer points of botany, please (Brussels sprouts)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/4): > > Same species, actually. > > The cabbage _Brassica oleracea_ has a very large number of distinct cultivars. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, collard greens, cauliflower, and kohlrabi all belong to the same botanical species. > [@Educate me on one of the finer points of botany, please (Brussels sprouts)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/5): > > I always thought Kohlrabi was a medieval-era Jewish Talmudic scholar/philosopher. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339.md?page=3)