# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**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, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/41 "2020-04-23T09:13:04Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > 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. This bears repeating. In a thread that dealt mostly with [What Type of Factory Makes Milk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=666205) > [@What Type of Factory Makes Milk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/48): > > . . . I thought pineapples grew on pine trees. > [@What Type of Factory Makes Milk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/49): > > No, that’s where we get Pine-sol. > [@What Type of Factory Makes Milk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/52): > > When the mommy pine tree and the daddy apple tree are very drunk… > [@What Type of Factory Makes Milk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/91): > > (Just noticed the above-quoted items today.) > > Also, cinnamon comes from pine trees! I just discovered that a few years ago. Around December (I guess that’s when pine cones are in season), all the supermarkets around here sell cinnamon pine cones. Maybe they’ve always had them, but I just recently noticed. Who knew that cinnamon comes from pine cones? > > (And I think, if you cross a cow with a chicken and feed the babies cinnamon pine cones, they will produce egg-nog.) ---
**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 23, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/42 "2020-04-23T13:41:52Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > 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.” I think you’ll find it is “Miserable, fat, Belgian bastards!” And the title of the TV show was “Prejudice”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/43 "2020-04-23T14:41:48Z")
> [@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! We split them in half and cook them in bacon grease with onion, garlic and bacon. Mrs. Plant (v.3.0) likes them blackened; I do not. I have seen them on the stalk at a Kroger in Little Rock, AR. I don’t recall if they were from Mexico or California. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/44 "2020-04-23T15:24:06Z")
Having grown my own brussels sprouts for years, I’m familiar with how the crop looks (though mine never looked quite as perfect as the ones in the OP’s photo). If you want to try a real monster in the same family, grow [giant walking stick cabbage](https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/cabbage/walking-stick-cabbage.htm) a.k.a. Jersey cabbage. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/45 "2020-04-23T15:53:12Z")
> [@naita](#): > > I think you’ll find it is “Miserable, fat, Belgian bastards!” And the title of the TV show was “Prejudice”. Thanks for correcting that, and also for the name of the episode! Maybe I can find it and watch it again, I only saw it the once and it was a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/46 "2020-04-23T16:26:23Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > 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. Hang on, they’re dopes for growing them, just like what you’re planning on doing? 😕 😛 ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/47 "2020-04-23T16:42:01Z")
> [@PlumBob](#): > > 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. Trimming the tops is optional, and can depend on how you want to harvest. If you’re intending to harvest the whole stalk at once, then removing the growing tip at the top is a good idea, because otherwise you’ll get sprouts of drastically different sizes when you harvest. If the stalk can’t add on any more, it’ll put more energy into sizing up the top ones, and they’ll become closer to the same size as the lower ones. If you want to just break off some of the sprouts at the bottom when they’re big enough, and leave the rest on the stalk to grow, and you have a long enough growing season: then don’t top them, and the stalk will keep growing and adding more sprouts. – Flavor in brussels sprouts is also affected by weather conditions before harvest. If there’s been frost, or very close to frost, the sprouts become sweeter: the plant is bringing up sugars as an antifreeze. Brussels sprouts are quite hardy, most varieties down into the teens F or even colder; though growth will slow at colder temperatures. ---
**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 23, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/48 "2020-04-23T17:23:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Senegoid > I always thought Kohlrabi was a medieval-era Jewish Talmudic scholar/philosopher. Yes, it means “My All-Great,” clearly a nod to the creator. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/49 "2020-04-24T03:27:10Z")
My Stay at Home Mom would prepare them frequently for dinner when I was kid in the 1960’s. I think in a pressure cooker. I like them as I liked most green veggies when I was kid. (I didn’t like orange veggies like carrots, rutabagas, and winter squash). I think I have only Brussels Sprouts one time in the last 35 years. They were smothered in some sort of cheese sauce and it was delicious. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/50 "2020-04-24T03:31:19Z")
> [@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! I just ate some, roasted with carrots, garlic salt, and olive oil. I have grown them myself. They taste dreadful until the whole plant has been exposed to frost, and a hard freeze is better. In addition, the stalk never completely died off in that zone 6a garden. I’m guessing they were bred this way so our ancestors could have fresh vegetables for at least part of the winter. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/51 "2020-04-24T18:59:23Z")
Back in the day, when a musket wielder ran out of lead balls. he substituted Brussels sprouts. Very deadly. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/52 "2020-04-24T19:27:38Z")
error dupe ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/53 "2020-04-24T23:37:08Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > Back in the day, when a musket wielder ran out of lead balls. he substituted Brussels sprouts. Very deadly. Pretty large caliber. Better used as grape shot. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/54 "2020-04-25T13:30:16Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I have grown them myself. They taste dreadful until the whole plant has been exposed to frost, and a hard freeze is better. Opinions differ on that. I’ve planted them out in spring and enjoyed fine brussels sprouts in late summer long before any frost. To me there’s no significant difference in taste compared to after frost/freeze, and by waiting to harvest in northern climates until after frost you wind up missing out on part of the season. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/55 "2020-04-26T04:06:27Z")
You know, spaghetti with sauce was unknown in Italy intil Marco Polo brought pasta from China and then Columbus brought tomatoes from America? ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/56 "2020-04-26T08:52:10Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > You know, spaghetti with sauce was unknown in Italy intil Marco Polo brought pasta from China and then Columbus brought tomatoes from America? [Amalfi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalfi) was the first Italian maritime republic after Rome fell, an important power circa 840-1200 CE, a bit before Marco Polo (circa 1300). Much Arab-European trade moved through Amalfi, whichi also claims the magnetic compass. That trade introduced citrus (viva limoncello!) and paper- and pasta-making which used similar technologies. We can see old depictions of lines strung high above narrow streets with sheets of paper or pasta drying. Our guide in town said Amalfi’s pasta production started before 1200. But Horace wrote of Roman [sheet pasta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasta#History) in the 1st century CE and lasagna dates from at least 400 so it far predates Marco Polo. Amalfi just learned a good production method from Arabs. Maybe Columbus took tomatoes to Europe, or maybe Cortés was first, [(cite)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato#Spanish_distribution), but marinara sauce definitely had to wait for the Spanish culinary appropriation. Till then pasta-eaters had to be satisfied topping their portions with meats, cheeses, spices, and whatever sauce could be cobbled together. The magic of marinara struck later. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/57 "2020-04-27T20:21:35Z")
We planted them in our garden a few years ago and forgot about them until time to clear for winter. We were shocked to see a whole stalk of them! We had no idea what we should have been looking for, so we ignored it. The stragglers were quite delicious! ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339/58 "2020-04-27T20:36:27Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Belgium? Correct. They’re from the same place as waffles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-where-brussel-sprouts-come-from/852339.md?page=2)