“Bears Gems.” That’s what the scientific name of the group, Gemmifera,  Brussels Sprouts belongs to means.

For many people, Brussels sprouts are something that we view as a form of culinary punishment from our childhoods.  “Now sit up straight, Bertina, and eat your Brussels sprouts or we’ll have to lace your corsets more tightly, there’s a dear.”    Eating “little trees” (broccoli) is fun for kids, but eating little balls?  Ick. It’s almost like a bait and switch for kids. Very few of us look forward to them as eagerly as we look forward to tangerines or even cherry tomatoes.  Yet [...]]]>

“Bears Gems.” That’s what the scientific name of the group, Gemmifera,  Brussels Sprouts belongs to means.

For many people, Brussels sprouts are something that we view as a form of culinary punishment from our childhoods.  “Now sit up straight, Bertina, and eat your Brussels sprouts or we’ll have to lace your corsets more tightly, there’s a dear.”    Eating “little trees” (broccoli) is fun for kids, but eating little balls?  Ick. It’s almost like a bait and switch for kids. Very few of us look forward to them as eagerly as we look forward to tangerines or even cherry tomatoes.  Yet prepared properly, they truly are gems.

The problem is that when Brussels sprouts are overcooked, they release a sulfur compound.  And then they do taste bad.  But because most people don’t grow them in their gardens, and during the Fabulous Fake Fifties of glorifying processed foods they weren’t included in TV dinners, the vast majority of people forgot how to cook them, if they ever knew.  Cabbage is good when it’s cooked a long time, they reasoned, and these are supposedly little cabbages, so let’s cook the daylights out of them.  And that’s when Brussels sprouts turn into a slippery, smelly, olive-green mess that my aunt couldn’t even get her farm animals to eat.

The key is a short cooking time.  They’re done when they’re bright-green, crisp-tender.  This is why in Europe they’re preferred as small as possible.  That way they can be cooked very quickly.  If the ones you have are large, cut them in half and steam or stir-fry them.  They’re actually sweet, done correctly!

And now for a little history with your proper cooking technique: Romans had Brussels sprouts, although probably not quite in the form we have them, because they were bred down from wild cabbage, along with other vegetables like kohlrabi, broccoli, and kale, among others.  But by the Middle Ages, Brussels sprouts were nearly in their modern form in Belgium, and definitely were by the 1500s.  A vegetable that will stay pickable into December in your garden was a bonus before there was refrigeration available!  Many people suffered from the lack of fresh produce in the winter, so cabbage family members were desireable.

Brussels sprouts were introduced into the U.S. by French settlers around the year 1800 in Louisiana, and spread from there.  Currently most of what we have is grown in Washington State, but I have seen fields of Brussels sprouts in the lovely river basin area on the southwest side of Indianapolis, in the old German market garden area, where there are still beautiful houses and gardens.

As I learn to cook with more seasonal vegetables and fruit, the more I realize why cruciferous vegetables used to grace tables at Christmas: in most areas, people could still pick them fresh from their gardens.   So in the coming weeks, subscribers will see some festive recipes for cruciferous vegetables.  The Hanukkah menu used several, and they tasted wonderful!  No more bait and switch.