Romanesco Broccoli has been grown since time immemorial throughout the Roman Campagna, the area encompassing part of the Agro Romano and the area surrounding Rome as far as Circeo. In Albano Laziale we find another variety with a larger inflorescence called “broccolo di Albano” or “broccolo capoccione”.
It is of the cauliflower family [Brassica oleracea], light green in colour and cone-shaped. It has lots of little florets arranged in a spiral. It is rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, fibre and carotenoids, and is one of the types of plant whose leaves are not eaten, but only the inflorescences before they are ripe.
It derives its name from “brocco”, bud or shoot, and was a sacred vegetable for the Greeks and Romans since it was used to treat various illnesses, ulcers and wounds, and if eaten before banquets, helped to absorb alcohol. It originally came from Asia Minor and the cultivation of the vegetable in Lazio came about in the mid 19the century after separating it from the local cauliflower varietal. Indeed in 1834 the poet Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli, who wrote in the Roman vernacular, in one of his sonnets, mentions a greengrocer, “Torzetto”, who grew and sold broccoli romanesco, for which he earned the nickname “Torsolo” [cabbage stalk].
Broccoli romanesco is delicious “all’agro”, that is, dressed with oil and lemon while cold and then sautéed in a skillet with oil, garlic and chilli pepper. We also find many traditional Roman recipes using the vegetable, including skate (fish) broth with broccoli and pasta and broccoli soup.