Romanesco Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)

Romanesco Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica): this variety has been grown and consumed in the countryside outside Rome for centuries. It looks a little like a light green cauliflower, its small spiral rosettes are arranged like a pyramid in an endless repetition of themselves, it is actually really beautiful and interesting to look at.

To be sown from July to September and harvested by Christmas, reason why  it is also called Broccoli Natalino. This variety tolerates cold weather very well, but enjoyes mild winters better.

The Romanesco broccoli is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, which makes its timing very convenient, it provides when we need it the most, winter.

In the kitchen, it is used for many traditional and non-traditional recipes, thanks to its strong flavour and beauty it embellishes any dish, from meatballs to lasagna.

Broccoli is a source of colour, beauty, and health.

In 1834, the poet Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli, who wrote in Roman dialect,  mentioned a gardener named Torzetto who cultivated and traded his own Roman broccoli in his sonnet “Er Testamento Der Pasqualino”.