Brussels Sprouts Backstory

The humble beginnings of one of today's most popular vegetables

A version of this article appeared in the Centre Daily Times in 2001, back before Brussels sprouts replaced the Shrimp Cocktail as a must-have appetizer item. Today they are a part of our food culture, from food truck fare to fine dining. And they are very good for you, especially at this time of year when they are in season in North America.

Joanne Green’s recipe for Brussels sprouts is worth the effort it takes.

Once upon a time, in a country where potatoes, peas, and carrots reigned supreme, it was easy to never encounter this vegetable that resembles a miniature cabbage. Often, close encounters were overcooked, stodgy, and sulfurous little sponge balls. 

Cool-weather and a touch of frost improve the flavor of sprouts, so they are often used at holiday tables, especially in England and Canada.  One of the last remaining plants in the garden, sprouts can be harvested after frost has killed the tender perennials. The plant is startling to see standing solo, gem-like cabbages spiraling up a thick stalk, topped with a lion’s mane of leaves so heavy that it can force the stalk into a recumbent position.

Brussels sprouts, Brassica oleracea bullata gemmifera, are descendants of the wild cabbage native to the Mediterranean seaboard, where the thick, succulent stalk mutated into a miraculous variety of related plants—broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, turnip.  These plants are all cruciferous vegetables, meaning the seedlings that first sprout in the spring and the petals of the flowers that they bear are in the shape of a cross.  This entire family of vegetables fights cancer and has been proven especially beneficial to cancers of the digestive tract.  High in vitamins, especially C and A, sprouts are very low in calories (about 39 for a serving) and high in minerals and fiber.

The first documented drawing of the Brussels sprout variant was dated 1587 and produced in Belgium, though the plant was cultivated in northern Europe in the 5^th century.  After World War I, Brussels sprouts became a popular vegetable in Europe and in the 1920’s they were planted in large quantities in California along the central coast.  The stalk of the plant grows from 2 to 4 feet high and the sprouts are small, numerous lateral buds along the main stem. Each plant yields about 80 to 100 sprouts per stem (about 2 to 2 and a half pounds), with the buds at the bottom maturing first.

Like all cruciferous vegetables, long cooking causes strong-smelling sulfur compounds to develop, so brief cooking is desirable.  Many chefs score the bottom stem of the sprout to even out the cooking time, which especially helps with larger sprouts.  They can be steamed just until tender and then tossed with butter or olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper.  They can also be marinated after steaming and served as a salad or, more typically, tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted until the cut surface browns.

But by far the most luxurious way to enjoy Brussels sprouts is to use my friend Joanne Green’s recipe that came from her brother, Jim Balmer, and that originated with Alice Waters.  What is extraordinary about the recipe, aside from the amount of effort that it is to prepare by separating the leaves of each little sprout, is that the texture is as light and fluffy as a bowl of flower petals, which, essentially, it is.

Joanne Green’s Brussels Sprouts Extraordinaire

Serves 6

One pound perfect, loosely woven (if available) Brussels sprouts, rinsed and defoliated 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 slices bacon, finely minced

1/2 cup finely minced carrot

1/2 cup finely minced celery

1/2 cup finely minced onion

1/3 cup water

Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

1-2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar

Prepare the sprouts by coring each one and gently pulling the leaves apart. (Yes, tedious! Enlist helpers for this chore.) Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the bacon, and sauté until the fat is rendered and the bacon starts to crisp.  Add the minced carrot, celery, and onion, and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the Brussels sprout leaves and the water and cook, stirring frequently for just a few minutes until the exterior leaves turn bright green and the paler interior leaves are tender.  Season with black pepper, salt, and vinegar, and serve hot.