[Sca-cooks] Brussels sprouts

[Johnna Holloway]

Just to add to the discussion, food historian Jane Grigson mentions
that "they are something of a mystery vegetable. It
seems they were being grown around Brussels in Middle
Ages; market regulations of 1213 mention them. They were
ordered for two wedding feasts of the Burgundian court at
Lille in the 15th century." See Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book.
Davidson seems to discount this in The Oxford Companion to Food, but
he does say that one may sometimes induce sprouts to form from
cabbage stems by cutting off the tops.

Harold McGee says they may have been developed in the 14th century
but the very clear evidence only dates to the 18th century. p. 323 On 
Food and Cooking.

William Woys Weaver in Heirloom Vegetable Gardening says
brussels sprouts did not appear until 1785!

http://www.uga.edu/vegetable/brusselsprouts.html#crophistory lists some 
material
on them. History wise--
Brussel sprouts, Brassica oleracea var gemmifera, are known to be native 
to cool regions in northern Europe.  They were a popular vegetable crop 
in Belgium during the sixteenth century from which they were spread to 
the surrounding countries throughout temperate Europe.  French settlers 
in Louisiana extensively cultivated brussel sprouts for its continuous 
production of miniature cabbages throughout the growing season.
    The origin of Brasssica oleracea var gemmifera is thought to be the 
result of a  mutation from the savoy cabbage, Brassica olearcea capitata 
L. sabuda subgroup.  Two main types of brussel sprouts have arisen:  the 
tall variety, standing 2 to 4 feet tall, and the short variety, growing 
to a maximum height of 2 feet. The preferred size of the sprouts varies 
with Europeans opting for sprouts ½ inch in diameter, while Americans 
prefer sprouts 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
--------------------------------
Most sources on the internet stick with that late 16th or 17th century 
dates.
As to their breeding, I am wondering if this all has something to do 
with them being biennial.
The furst year one gets head cabbages; the second year they get sprouts 
growing on
the stems. (maybe only sometimes). Or as described here:
"After a head of common cabbage is cut from the plant, numerous tiny 
heads often will grow from the remaining stem in much the same manner as 
in brussels sprouts."
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/publications/vegetabletravelers/kohlrabi.html

So did Le Menagier end up with a percursor of what we now call Brussel 
Sprouts?
Probably he could have. My thought is that if one wanted to make this 
recipe, the best modern
substitute would be an heirloom brussel sprout. Or you could spend two years
attempting to grow cabbages and then in the second year sprouting 
cabbages off the stems.

What bothers me now is that I thought we had pictures showing them 
growing in gardens from
earlier dates. I shall keep looking for those.

Johnnae