Broccoli

A cool-season vegetable (Brassica oleracea, Italica group) developed in Italy from wild cabbage relatives, selectively bred over centuries for its edible flower heads and thick stalks, and closely related to cauliflower, cabbage and other Brassica oleracea crops grown from the same wild ancestor. Cultivation spread from Italy across Europe and reached the United States in significant commercial quantity only in the twentieth century, where California became the dominant domestic growing region. China, India and other countries have since become major producers as well, and broccoli is now grown worldwide as both a fresh market and processed frozen vegetable crop.