If you aren’t familiar with this particular variety, the Romanesco, a chartreuse, conical cauliflower, almost looks unreal. It is striking in beauty, and has an interesting story as well. The physical attributes are precisely explained on the Rungis website: “Its shape is a perfect illustration of the mathematical principle of fractals; a fractal being an object presenting self-similarity. In this case, all florets are identical to one another even though the size may change, and if each one were magnified, it would be an exact replica of a Romanesco cauliflower. Another mathematical curiosity: the florets grow in a spiral, one after another, according to a rhythm called the Fibonacci series, following the famous golden number, origin of all aesthetic harmony according to the Renaissance artists”. The Romanesco is also sometimes referred to as broccoli, and it seems to be unclear exactly which category describes it best, because it has such an astonishing identity of its own.
With the growing presence of heirloom variety vegetables in the market, you have probably noticed the array of colors that is replacing our mentality of one simple color to one vegetable. It is unfortunate that often, it is misbelieved-believed that these breeds are unnatural or genetically modified to appear this way, when in fact, quite the opposite is true. A good example of this misunderstanding is the circumstances which led to the carrots of today. Until the 17th century, most carrots eaten in Europe were white, yellow, and purple. The orange pigment was added by Dutch plant breeders to celebrate Holland’s royal family. It is interesting to find that it is actually many decades of selective breeding that has led to these engaging colors and flavor profiles in cauliflower, which range from very light green, to orange, and even a vibrant purple.
Romanesco cauliflower is lightly nutty, lending itself well to the many preparations you would use normal cauliflower in (without overcooking), or as an unconventional and beautiful crudité. Since the size varies from miniature to quite large, it can be employed in a variety of ways. Cauliflower peaks in spring and fall, and when choosing, you should look for tight curd (heads) that are heavy for their size, even and vibrantly colored, without spots or small flowers, and bright, healthy leaves.
According to USDA nutritional information, green cauliflower provides extra vitamin A and slightly more vitamin C than basic white. Orange cauliflower has higher levels of beta carotene, and purple is an effect of anthocyanin, which may help prevent heart disease. All cauliflower is low in calories and rich in vitamins C and K, folate, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, riboflavin, and thiamine. And like other cruciferous vegetables, it may help prevent some types of cancer.
The next time a usual piece of produce catches your eye, I encourage you to research it on the internet. There are so many thorough sources of information that is vital to consumers. It is also fascinating to read about the history of plant varieties and the great difference between simple produce and how scary the effects of mass grown, treated, scientifically tinkered, and transported produce can really be.
lifeinrecipes says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:22 pmYour photo is positively stunning in it’s simplicity. A beautifully written blog. Cheers.
Kathy says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:44 pmI’ve always seen this listed in seed catalogs as a broccoli. It’s a little tricky to grow and get the spiral to come out even. It needs consistant, even moisture. It is very tasty and beautiful, and makes quite a grand statement in the garden as it is taller than either cauliflower or broccoli usually are.
2nd favorite says:
April 12th, 2008 at 6:21 pmDamn you Angelenos and your farmer’s markets. A beautiful picture and blog. It would seem a shame to cut it to eat it. The cauliflower, not the blog.
marye says:
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:29 pmI have not yet tried this..I look forward to it.
Phoebe says:
May 20th, 2008 at 9:31 pmThe first thing I thought was “Wow! It’s a fractal!”
Dondon says:
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:04 amIt really looks like plastic…But those photos are wonderful…
Sharon says:
July 20th, 2008 at 1:22 pmI am so envious of you in warmer climates who have access to beautiful vegetables like this. Our short - and sometimes even shorter - season in Minnesota doesn’t produce many exotic fruits and vegetables, so I’ll just continue to drool over wonderful pictures like this and be content with white cauliflower and green broccoli.
Carol McW says:
August 24th, 2008 at 8:22 amI got this at a farmers market close to where I live (Ayrshire in Scotland) last Autumn. It tasted wonderful, so great in fact, we decided to cultivate it ourselves in our vegetable garden. The plants in the early stages are just as you would imagine from Cailuflower and Broccoli (as they are all part of the same family). Its late August now, and the Romanesco heads are starting to develop well, so I’m quite pleased that we had some success. I am curious however, as to whether or not the leaves are edible - the plant is four foot tall with a mass of foliage, it seems a shame to waste, even if we only give it to our rabbit
great pages BTW
Bonnie says:
September 24th, 2008 at 9:41 amA few of my co-workers and I had bought some of these seeds from a magazine and decided to see if we could grow them. A type of contest within our department of green-thumbers. Living in the southern region of WI we have no problem with cauliflour or broccoli so we thought it wouldn’t be much of a challenge. Needless to say our spring set many of us back several weeks and my plants were replanted in my garden twice due to flooding. As of yesterday I noticed a small conicle obtrusion about 2 inches in width in the center of an enormous plant of leaves. Needless to say I am the only one who was able to grow it from seed and I am hoping it is wonderful to eat as I have read above!!!
David says:
September 29th, 2008 at 11:18 pmBonnie-
A small conical obtrusion, how beautifully put. I hope you were able to enjoy it! Let me know how it was.
deborah says:
November 25th, 2008 at 11:35 amhi, i live in san francisco, and i was told that the fall was a perfectly fine time to plant romanesco. i started with seedlings. the stems are growing tall and there has been constant new leaf formation. it’s been about a month. about when should i exepct to see the spiral head start to form?
so far, our autumn has been unusually hot.
Bonnie says:
November 29th, 2008 at 11:28 amI just bought some of this at the farmer’s market in upstate NY and it is Nov. 29. I can’t wait to try it.
Bonnie says:
December 8th, 2008 at 12:28 pmHello again!!! Our fall lasted long enough for my small obtrusion grew into an 8×8 inch head. I was also lucky enough to reap 3 more heads..which seemed to appear out of nowhere. It seems they love the cooler weather. They love it so much that they were the only plants left in my garden into November(even withstanding 2 heavy frosts!).I steamed the first one over 2 months ago and the aroma was quite undesirable, but one taste of the long growing veggie and my family is hooked. The last 3 were cut the second week of November and put aside for Thanksgiving. They were perfectly fine left in a ziploc baggie in the refridgerator for 2 weeks. I am looking forward to starting my seedlings in March again this year. I do hope everyone loved the flavor as much as I!!
annie says:
January 29th, 2009 at 7:58 pmi just googled romanesco cauliflower, since we bought and ate one tonight on a whim. delish. a new fave. living in seattle, we look forward to cultivating this. definitely recommended.
The Empress Grows A Sweet Potato « Messy Manifesto says:
February 8th, 2009 at 11:17 am[…] medium cauliflower (romanesco, if available), rinsed & cut into 2″ […]
kellytravels2000 says:
February 21st, 2009 at 8:54 amHi,
I’m so excited for these great varieties of cauliflower. I’m looking forward to doing a form-and-function thing with both the Romanesco and the Graffitti caulflower(s).
I want to grow them in mega-large staggered size(cobalt color glazed) pots. One pot for the Romanesco, one pot for graffiti in a highly visual grouping also containing a high point of potted (fuschia colored) bougainvillea, a lower shallwer container with a sprawling surface area for showing very architectual mixed succulents eg;Echeveria/semperivivens (the tropical varieties) Cante, black knight, morning light, etna and some lithops, etc.
Then just place the works in lots of sun and moisture as per needed will make said sun-loving (and even eatible in some respects) arrangement a low maintenance eye-popping winner! …Thank God for Gardening!
Xina says:
June 16th, 2009 at 1:31 pmI used to work at a restaurant and we cooked this (I think they lifted the recipe from Le Cirque)…
Quick blanch
put in 1/2 hotel pan
place a few pieces of thin(Goodfellas thin) garlic
wrap an anchovie over the top
drizzle some olive oil
white pepper
roast in the oven at 400degrees F for a few minutes. Un-believable!