Broccoli comes from the eastern Mediterranean (Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Cyprus), from where it spread to Italy around 1700 and then to England.
In the early 19th century, it began to be used in America, and its production became significant only after 1925. It was brought to Croatian soil from Italy, first to the coast and some islands, and today the most significant cultivation of broccoli is in Dalmatia. The name of the plant originates from the Italian word “brocco,” which means shoot or sprout, as the edible parts of the plant are the central and lateral green flower shoots located on a branched and soft stem.
Broccoli (Latin: Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) is actually a biennial plant, but we mostly grow it as an annual. In the second year, it is grown for seed production: after flowering, capsules are formed in which seeds develop. It mostly overwinters successfully outdoors despite severe winters. The flowers or buds are damaged at temperatures below -5 degrees, but the plant itself can withstand even lower temperatures. Broccoli is characteristic in that it produces the best buds at lower temperatures, and during summer heat, if it forms a bud, it often quickly goes to seed. The broccoli shoots that we use for food are actually flower buds, and they are harvested while young, before flowering. Temperature stress, abundant nitrogen fertilization, and heavy watering can cause physiological diseases such as hollow stem and brown head.
Nutritional value of broccoli
Nutritionally, it is a very valuable and appreciated food with a rich vitamin and mineral composition, and the energy value of fresh broccoli is only 34 kcal per 100 g.
| Nutrients | Amount in % |
|---|---|
| Raw proteins | 3.3 – 3.7 |
| Raw fats | 0.2 – 0.3 |
| Carbohydrates | 4 – 6 |
| Fiber | up to 1.3 |
| Minerals | up to 1.1 |
| Water | 88 – 90 |
Table 1: Nutritional value of fresh broccoli
| Minerals | Amount in mg/100 g |
|---|---|
| Sodium | 10 – 15 |
| Potassium | 368 – 560 |
| Magnesium | 0.3 – 25 |
| Calcium | 80 – 140 |
| Phosphorus | 68 – 87 |
| Sulfur | up to 145 |
| Iron | 1.3 – 2.4 |
Table 2: Mineral composition of broccoli
| Vitamins | Amount in mg/100 g |
|---|---|
| Carotene | 0.3 – 2.7 |
| B1 | 0.09 – 0.1 |
| B2 | 0.2 – 0.35 |
| B3 | 0.8 – 1.1 |
| B5 | 1.06 – 1.5 |
| C | 83 – 125 |
Table 3: Vitamin content in broccoli
Morphological properties of broccoli
At the top of the stem, broccoli forms a compact flower head with prominent flower buds of green or purple color. When the flower heads are still compact, they are harvested with part of the stem (up to the first larger leaves) and, as such, represent the edible part of the plant.
In the arable layer (30 cm) of the soil, it develops a branched root. The leaves are on medium-long petioles, gray-green to bluish-green in color, with more or less indented leaf blades. In the generative phase, it reaches a height of 50 – 90 cm, the leaves on the flowering stem are small, and sometimes there are none in the upper part. At the top of the stem, a compact flower head with prominent flower buds of green or purple color (they can also be yellow or white) forms. Along the fleshy thick stem and the lateral stems from the leaf axils, smaller fleshy flower heads emerge. As the flower heads appear and develop from bottom to top, the harvest is gradual. This allows for an extended harvest period. Such harvesting is of higher quality as it enables the grower to harvest and sell the crop gradually, without long storage, and the buyer can purchase broccoli soon after harvest.
In the generative phase, the flower head is harvested together with part of the stem up to the first larger leaves – the edible part of the broccoli. If the flower head is not harvested at this stage, the branches within the head begin to grow, the head becomes looser, and soon flowering follows, causing the broccoli to lose market value.
