Romanesco



Broccoli Romanesco is the Italian love child of cauliflower and broccoli. It combines the best of both worlds; the soft gentel texture of cauliflower and a subtle crisp broccoli taste.

Growing Romanesco broccoli is more like growing cauliflower than broccoli in the sense that it is a more temperamental to temperature and requires consistent water and highly organic soil to thrive. Romanesco requires a slightly shaded location with alkaline soil and room to spread as plants grow up to 3 feet in height. It is best to plant Romanesco in the fall in warmer climates.Those in more northerly regions can plant in the spring, after the last frost. Seeds are generally available through Italian purveyors. What makes romanesco so unique is that romanesco is a fractal food.

The spiral, alien- like  pattern of the romanesco is a natural fractal and the number of spirals is a fibonacci number. While apprecaited much by math lovers, anyone can bask in the beauty that is a romanesco.

Romanesco's flavor makes it a highly versitile food for cooking with. It can be eaten raw, roasted or sauteed. It can be roasted with just a little olive oil and a little Italian cheese grated over it for extra flavor. Another way to cook it is to simply steam it and break apart the florets after steaming. This will retain the crisp texture of the vegetable.