Brussel Sprouts were Once a Culinary Outcast, Now a Trendy Superfood
Discover the History, Health Benefits, & Cooking Tips
Culinary Medicine
From America’s most disliked to most trendy vegetable
Today, Brussels sprouts are among the trendiest vegetables. You can find them on the menu in eating establishments ranging from pubs to posh restaurants.[1] But this was not always so. President Franklin Roosevelt jokingly refused to return to England until Lady Churchill agreed to stop serving him boiled Brussels sprouts.[2] Those of us who grew up in the 20th century probably remember Brussels sprouts as soggy, smelly mini cabbages that our mothers served us as children. As recently as 2008, they were named America’s most hated vegetable.[3] What has shifted the popularity of these little cabbages? And more importantly can you transform your appetite for them?
Brussels, Belgium, and Boiling
Brussels sprouts get their name from the city in Belgium where they became popular beginning in the 16th century. There are a number of varieties; most are green but there is also a purple variety. Brussels sprouts grow on upright stalks; the round buds we eat have layers of leaves resembling a tiny cabbage. They are a member of Brassicaceae family of vegetables, also called crucifers because their flowers look like a crucifix or cross. Other crucifers include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Bok choy, kale, arugula, and mustard greens.[4] In addition to the appearance of their flowers, these vegetables share a distinctive sulfur smell and slightly bitter taste, particularly when overboiled.[5]
Benefits of Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts pack a nutritional punch. A cup of cooked sprouts provides 100% of the RDA for vitamin C and over 200% of the vitamin K recommendation along with about forty calories, less than a gram of fat, and three grams each of protein and fiber. The fiber in Brussels sprouts has been shown to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut microbiome.[6] Brussels sprouts also contain a number of phytochemicals including carotenoids and polyphenols, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and glucosinolates, which have been shown to have cancer protective properties in humans.[7,8] Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing compounds found primarily in cruciferous vegetables that are responsible for the odor and bitter flavor in Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables.
Changing Tastes: Ours and the Brussels
So, what has changed our appetite for this ancient healthy vegetable? Some of the palatability of Brussels sprouts is individual. Our taste for them may be tainted by our early experiences, such as a childhood of overboiled Brussels, but it is also affected by genetic differences in how we perceive bitter tastes; there are tasters and non-tasters. Non-tasters are less sensitive to the glucosinolate compounds in Brussels sprouts, so they taste less bitter.[9] Some of the increased appeal for sprouts is also because the Brussels themselves are different from those of 30 years ago. In the 1990s, a Dutch scientist developed a less bitter tasting sprout by cross-pollinating older, milder tasting varieties with newer, high-yielding ones.[10] Another contributor to our changed relationship with Brussels sprouts is how we prepare them. The overboiled sprouts of 30 years ago, which emitted the distinctive sulfur smell, have been replaced in restaurants and home kitchens by crispy roasted and sauteed sprouts.[11]
The Bitter and the Sweet
So, if you are not already a fan, give Brussels sprouts a chance. If it is the bitterness that bothers you, buy sprouts that are small and bright green. Remove the outer leaves, which tend to be bitter, and then blanch them for a few minutes before roasting or sautéing. Be careful not to overcook your sprouts; cooking them just long enough to be tender limits the release of the sulfur smell. Adding other ingredients can bring out the best in Brussels. You can reduce the bitterness with sugars like maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar, which help to caramelize the sprouts and bring out their own sweetness. Cooking them in fat such as olive oil or avocado oil adds crispness and balances the bitter flavor. [12] Drizzle them with olive oil, broil them to a crispy brown, or top them with pistachios. You can even eat them raw by shredding them in salads. But Roosevelt was right, do not serve them soggy.
Other Culinary Medicine articles about Brussel Sprouts
Did you know Brussels sprouts are high in Folate? read more about folate in Why Folic Acid, Folate, & Vitamin B9?
Brussels sprouts, packed with antioxidants like vitamin C and polyphenols, help combat inflammation by neutralizing harmful free radicals. read more in Eating to Reduce Inflammation
Brussels sprouts are a high potassium food. If you have Hyperkalemia you should avoid. Read more in Elevated Potassium - Hyperkalemia
References
[1] Brenner L. Cooks Without Borders. Cooks Without Borders. Published November 13, 2022. Accessed October 30, 2024. https://cookswithoutborders.com/new-story/brussels-sprouts-popularity-rise
[2] Zimmerman A. The Sprout Incident of FDR and Lady Churchill | Bibliomania. The Library of Congress. Published January 12, 2024. https://blogs.loc.gov/bibliomania/2024/01/12/the-sprout-incident-of-fdr-and-lady-churchill/
[3] Guttman V. Brussels sprouts: America’s most hated vegetable. Slate Magazine. Published January 21, 2011. https://slate.com/human-interest/2011/01/brussels-sprouts-america-s-most-hated-vegetable.html
[4] Cleveland Clinic. This Is Why Mom Said to Eat Your Broccoli (and Other Cruciferous Veggies). https://health.clevelandclinic.org/crunchy-and-cruciferous-youll-love-this-special-family-of-veggies
[5] Science of Flavor: Cruciferous Vegetables. The Nutrition Source. Published November 21, 2016. Accessed October 30, 2024. https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/2016/11/21/science-of-flavor-cruciferous-vegetables-brussels-sprouts/
[6] Bouranis JA, Beaver LM, Jiang D, Choi J, Wong CP, Davis EW, Williams DE, Sharpton TJ, Stevens JF, Ho E. Interplay between Cruciferous Vegetables and the Gut Microbiome: A Multi-Omic Approach. Nutrients. 2022 Dec 22;15(1):42. doi: 10.3390/nu15010042. PMID: 36615700; PMCID: PMC9824405
[7] Ağagündüz D, Şahin TÖ, Yılmaz B, Ekenci KD, Duyar Özer Ş, Capasso R. Cruciferous Vegetables and Their Bioactive Metabolites: from Prevention to Novel Therapies of Colorectal Cancer. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Apr 11;2022:1534083. doi: 10.1155/2022/1534083. PMID: 35449807; PMCID: PMC9017484.
[8] Glucosinolate - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. www.sciencedirect.com. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/glucosinolate
[9] Bachmanov AA, Beauchamp GK. Taste Receptor Genes. Annual Review of Nutrition. 2007;27(1):389-414. doi:https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.nutr.26.061505.111329
[10] From Culinary Dud to Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Built Our Brussels Sprouts Boom. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/30/773457637/from-culinary-dud-to-stud-how-dutch-plant-breeders-built-our-brussels-sprouts-bo.
[11] Harvard Health the Nutrition Source. Science of Flavor: Cruciferous Vegetables. The Nutrition Source. Published November 21, 2016. https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/2016/11/21/science-of-flavor-cruciferous-vegetables-brussels-sprouts/
[12] MSN. How to fix the bitter taste of Brussels sprouts. Published 2024.https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/cookingschool/how-to-fix-the-bitter-taste-in-brussels-sprouts/ar-BB1hg6cG Accessed November 6, 2024
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