11 Most Famous Types and Varieties of Broccoli

In this article we show you the most famous different varieties of broccoli that you can find in the world. With a brief description of each of them.

If any food has increased its consumption in Spain, it is broccoli, which has made a significant quantitative leap from 200 grams per capita in 2010 to 2 kilograms in 2020.

Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable and is part of the cabbage family, which includes vegetables like Brussels sprouts and kale. Although the flavors are different, broccoli and these other vegetables are from the same family.

The consumption of broccoli has numerous benefits, including the large amount of vitamins it includes. These include vitamins C, K, and A, fiber, calcium, iron, and even anti-inflammatory properties that make eating broccoli so smart.

It is a type of cruciferous that is used to attack health problems such as diabetes and cancer. It is anti-inflammatory and prevents the evolution of degenerative diseases.

In addition, it serves for a good figure, so it is highly recommended for obese people.The most important types of broccoli are:

broccoli rapini

Very popular in Spain (Asturias, León and Galicia), Portugal and Italy, it is more aromatic and bitter than traditional broccoli.

It comes from the cabbage family, and it also has anti-cancer properties; It is known as broccoli rabé or turnip greens, which is the flower bud of the turnip. It is rich in vitamins A, C and K and a powerful source of iron and calcium.

To obtain a nutritious dish from it, we must blanch the flowers and leaves before sautéing them to lower their natural sour level.

Before processing it we must see its color: if it is green, it is fine; if it is white, it is too late to eat it, because that means that the stem is very hard and it is impossible to soften it.

broccolini

“Supervegetable”, “superfood”, are some of the adjectives that crown this type of broccoli, especially in Spain.

Where it is considered the ideal food, due to the amount of nutritional elements that it boasts, which is why it has displaced traditional broccoli from the peninsular table.

It is cultivated throughout the Mediterranean coast and its popularity has increased due to its inclusion in the main supermarkets, where it occupies a special place, such as the latest record in a renowned record company.

It comes from the fusion of traditional i broccoli and kai-lan Chinese cabbage, which makes it rich in vitamin C, B6, calcium and potassium. Thin and elongated stem, sweet; soft floret. It can be eaten whole, baked, boiled, grilled, or raw. It is known by other names: bimi, tenderstem and baby broccoli.

calabrian broccoli

It comes from the region of Calabria, in the south of Italy, and it is the traditional broccoli, that is, the best known type of broccoli in the Spanish market, because it is very soft.

It grows fast, in two months. Its flower heads, tight and dark green, can reach between 10 and 20 centimeters with an average weight of 500 grams.It can be eaten boiled or steamed.

Its most popular varieties are the gem and the chevalier.

Broccoli Romanescu

Variety created from the union of traditional broccoli and cauliflower, which makes it a very curious type of broccoli.

Its apple green color gives it freshness and beauty to the eye, in addition to its cone-shaped flower head, which is very ornamental. Firm, spiral bouquets.

Mild flavor but crunchier than traditional broccoli. You need quality soil.It takes longer to mature than Calabrese, up to 90 days, if we plant them in spring, and up to 100 days in autumn.

Special for sautéed and stews. Other varieties of broccoli come from Romanesco, such as Natalino. Verona broccoli has a leafy flower that is between Romanesco and Calabrese.

Broccoli Sprouting

It is born from the natural union of broccoli with cabbage and due to the amount of flucosinolates it contains, it was a candidate for the Innovation Award.

It is a cruciferous plant in the same family as cabbage and cauliflower. It is also defined as a superfood. If broccoli were eaten for its beauty, Sprouting would take the honors.

It is purple in color, but when cooked it turns green. It has antimicrobial properties and, therefore, anticancer. It is also known as asparagus broccoli because of its asparagus-like characteristics.

Arcadian Broccoli

Arcadia broccoli matures in about two months and consists of uniform, small, purplish-green heads. They are five to six inches in diameter and very cold tolerant, so fall and winter production is highly recommended.

It is not only cold hardy, but also hardy to head rot and downy mildew, and will not produce brown kernels either.

Amadeus Broccoli

Amadeus broccoli, which matures in just under 60 days, is 10-15cm in diameter and has small, tight bluish -green heads. It has a strong production of lateral shoots once the main head is harvested, and it is a very vigorous and medium-sized type of broccoli.

Blue Wind Broccoli

Blue Wind broccoli is an early bloomer, typically reaching full growth in less than 60 days, and has large, tight heads and bluish-green leaves on top of the plant. Like kale, Blue Wind broccoli is great when simmered or steamed.

gypsy broccoli

Maturing in about 60 days, it is one of the earliest flowering broccoli plants. It has a very good root system and therefore produces well even if the soil is not perfect. Gypsy broccoli has well rounded green heads and medium to small sized kernels. It also has great heat tolerance and produces many side shoots.

diplomatic broccoli

Resistant to many types of mold, diplomatic broccoli is made up of thick, uniform heads, four to six inches in diameter, and are dark green in color. They do especially well in cool climates that get only moderately warm in the summer months, and flower in just over two months.

express broccoli

Maturing in about 75 days, this broccoli is a large mid-season broccoli that produces many side shoots as well as deep greenish-blue heads, tight beads, and is approximately 6 to 8 inches in diameter.