Brussels sprouts
Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera
Deep cruciferous flavor with concentrated cabbage-family bitterness; roasting brings out nutty sweetness.
About Brussels
Brussels sprouts — mini cabbage-like buds that grow up a thick central stalk — are the brassica that completed a remarkable cultural rehabilitation between 2000 and 2020. Traditionally boiled to gray mushiness in mid-20th-century American cooking (and consequently hated by generations of children), Brussels sprouts re-entered American culinary culture as a roasted-with-bacon-and-balsamic showpiece in the 2010s, becoming the defining brassica of contemporary American restaurant cooking. The flavor is cabbage-family but more concentrated; the small size makes high-heat roasting easy. Quartering the sprouts increases caramelized surface area significantly.
Variety profile
Common uses
- Roasted with bacon
- Brussels sprouts Caesar salad (raw shredded)
- Sautéed with apples
- Braised with cream
- Pan-seared cut-side down
Editorial notes
Frost-touched winter sprouts are sweeter than fall sprouts. Sprouts on the stalk (when available) keep significantly better than loose sprouts in mesh bags.