Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Cabbages and
Brussels Sprouts
At one time not so very long ago, the Brassica family lived in the ghetto of the vegetable
kingdom, never allowed out in polite company. Presidents could joke with impunity about
hating them. But a funny thing has happened: mustard greens have gone trendy. Broccoli is
suddenly fashionable as a pasta sauce. Cauliflower is used at fancy restaurants as a comple-
ment to caviar (a role in which it excels). Kale is grown as a garden flower. Even so, while
many of their brothers and sisters are attaining stardom, two members of the far-flung clan
seem to be makeover-proof. Cabbages and brussels sprouts are the black-sheep brassicas.
What an unfair rap for such sweet kids, because when they are carefully cooked, no ve-
getables are more delicious. Cabbage can be silky and sweet, with just a slight bitter edge
from the brassicas' characteristic mustard oil. Brussels sprouts can be sweet as well, but
in addition to the mustard overtones, they have an intriguing earthy flavor. On top of that,
they are absolutely gorgeous, with buttery yellow inner leaves contrasting with forest green
outer ones.
Unfortunately, they frequently don't get the care they deserve. And when that happens,
these brassicas bite back. Indeed, the very word "cabbage" conjures up the smell of Irish
tenement hallways. If anything, brussels sprouts' reputation may be even worse. Not only
do they develop that distinctive smell when overcooked, but their colors fade to a uniform
shade of olive drab.
Like all brassicas, cabbages and brussels sprouts are high in chemical compounds that
produce hydrogen sulfide when exposed to heat for a sufficient amount of time. (As a gen-
eral rule, any chemical compound with any variation of the word "sulfur" in it smells bad.)
Brussels sprouts produce twice as much of these sulfurous compounds as broccoli, and
green cabbage is not far behind. This chemical is produced by a process similar to that
which occurs in onions: chemicals that are separate in the raw vegetable combine and form
new compounds when the cell walls are damaged. In this case, the compounds form when
the leaves are chopped and especially when the cell walls are broken during heating. And
unlike the sulfurous compounds in onions, those in brassicas don't dissipate as cooking pro-
gresses, but instead increase, as more cell walls soften and rupture.
