Fun Facts: Brussels Sprouts Edition

If you’re my age or older, Brussels sprouts were significantly more bitter when you were growing up than they are today.

I always assumed that I only like them more now because all the hip restaurants these days do things like cook them in bacon grease instead of just boiling them. The bacon grease certainly helps but there’s much more to the story than that.

In the 90’s, Dutch scientists identified the chemicals that made them bitter and this allowed them to breed new low-bitterness varieties that hit the market about 20 years ago.

Bonus fact: Brussels sprouts are a cultivar group of the same plant species as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, savoy, kohlrabi, and gai lan.