[Sca-cooks] broccoli and cauliflower

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

> After digging through this, I'm even more convinced that period "broccoli"
> and "cole-flowers" were so different from what's now found in groceries
> that it would be misleading to claim that either broccoli or cauliflower is
> period.

Parkinson, 1629:
"The Cole flower is a kinde of Coleworte, whose leaves are large, and like
the Cabbage leaves, but somewhat smaller, and endented about the edges, in
the middel wehereof, sometimes in the beginning of Autumne, and sometimes
much sooner, there appeareth a hard head of whitish yellow tufts of
floers, closely thrust together, but never open, nor spreading much with
us, when then is fittest to be used, the greeen leaves being cut away
close to the head; this hath a much pleasanter taste then eyther the
Coleworte, or Cabbage of any kinde, and is therefore of the more regard
and respect at good mens tables."
The accompanying woodcut is quite clearly a small cauliflower.


Gerard's _Herbal_ (1597, though poss. 1633, but not marked as a Johnson
addition):
"Cole flore, or after some Colieflore, hath many large leaves sleightly
indented about the edges, of a whiteish greene colour, narrower and
sharper pointed than Cabbage; in the middlest of which riseth up a great
white head of hard floures closely thrust together, with a root full of
stringes, in other parts like to the coleworts."
(Again, the woodcut is quite recognizeably cauliflower.)

-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa
jenne at fiedlerfamily.net OR jenne at tulgey.browser.net OR jahb at lehigh.edu
	"Index your brain."