Home » Business & Industrial » Agriculture & Forestry » The Brussel sprouts grown today taste better because they are genetically different. In the 1990’s a Dutch research identified heirloom varieties that are less bitter and bred them to be tastier and have a higher yield.

The Brussel sprouts grown today taste better because they are genetically different. In the 1990’s a Dutch research identified heirloom varieties that are less bitter and bred them to be tastier and have a higher yield.

From Culinary Dud To Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Built Our Brussels Sprouts Boom

Foods go in and out of style. Few of them, though, have gone through as dramatic a renaissance in their reputation as Brussels sprouts.

For many years, they were scorned. Even Steve Bontadelli admits it, and he makes his living growing them. “A lot of people of my generation hated them,” he says. “Their moms boiled them and made them even stinkier.”

Bontadelli’s farm is near Santa Cruz, Calif., where the weather is perfect for growing this vegetable. “We actually had a Brussels sprouts festival here for about 10 years,” he says. “And we got a lot of free press out of the deal, because people couldn’t believe that you’d have a festival for Brussels sprouts.”

What’s worse, they even deserved their bad reputation. “They were just v… Continue Reading (3 minute read)

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