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Cookbook:Brassicas

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Brassicas
CategoryVegetables

Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients | Equipment | Techniques | Cookbook Disambiguation Pages | Ingredients | Vegetables

Brassicas, also called cruciform vegetables because the leaves of a seedling form a cross, are a large group of vegetables, herbs, and spices.

Varieties

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There are several species within the genus Brassica, and many of these have been selectively bred to yield a variety of plant products. Examples include:

  • Brassica tournefortii: Asian mustard
  • Brassica napus: rapeseed, canola, rutabaga, Siberian kale
  • Brassica juncea: Indian mustard, brown and leaf mustards, Sarepta mustard
  • Brassica perviridis: tender green, mustard spinach

Characteristics

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Several–though not all—brassicas have a bitter or peppery flavor,[1] and when browned, many brassicas develop a sweet, nutty flavor.[2] Care must, however, be taken when using moist heat cooking methods, as overcooking brassicas usually leads to the development of unpleasant sulfurous flavors.

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References

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  1. Wolke, Robert L. (2011-01-12). What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-07982-1.
  2. López-Alt, J. Kenji (2015-09-21). The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-24986-6.