Cauliflower

A variety of cabbage, Caulis brassica, with a large, white head. Cauliflower is a native of the Mediterranean and Asia Minor and has been cultivated in that area since at least 600 BC. It's thought to have originated in China and then traveled to the Middle East. The English called it "Cyprus colewort" because it reached them from the island of Cyprus. The Moors introduced it to Spain in the 12th century, and from there it found its way to Europe and England via established trading routes by Flemish weavers fleeing the persecution of Spain's Philip II.

The early cauliflower was the size of a tennis ball, but it has since been cultivated to the size we see today. Ironically, baby cauliflower is now fashionable. Mark Twain once famously said, "Cauliflower is a cabbage with a college education", and even its name means "cabbage flower." Due to certain chemicals in cauliflower, it's best not to cook it in aluminum or iron pots. Contact with the metal will turn the cauliflower yellow, brown or blue-green.

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