When I was 21, my Aunt Rita and my Mom (Aunt Susie to my cousins) gave me a backyard picnic party. I was thrilled to see the long-stemmed rose box, tied with a big red ribbon, since no boy had yet seen fit to present long-stemmed roses to me. So imagine my giddiness, then shock, then dismay when I opened the box to find a long-stemmed Brussel (Brussels?) Sprout plant. HaHa. Not funny.
Fast forward forty years and here I am, picking Brussel (Brussels?) Sprouts from our garden in time to roast them for Thanksgiving.
If you want the history, I recommend an interesting website: foodtimeline.org. Here you will find the dates of cultivation of Brussels Sprouts (yes, the Romans carted them north, but the Persians and Afghans had them first, then across the pond to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello by 1812) right next to important dates in the history of…my favorite vegetable…brownies.
What I now know from reading Sprout History is that those that write “Brussel” instead of “Brussels” don’t know nuthin’ bout Sprout Geography. Then again, the Crusaders are once again to blame. They stole and renamed the sprout. We are really eating, “Babylon Balls” or some such.
I made some Brussel(s) Sprouts for Thanksgiving (not a big seller) and so there are more in the refrigerator. Here’s two “slaw” recipes in case you are in the same bucket.
Cold and gray today. Almost December… ##
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I absolutely LOVE brussels sprouts! Looking forward to trying these recipes!
No B.S. for us on T-day! But I do like those sprouts!
A side note—-Babylon (re:Revelations) is mentioned quite often in the latest Louise Penny book about Inspector Gamache—“The Nature of the Beast”. Good Reading! She is my FAV writer—best to start her series about the Canadian Inspector from the beginning—“Still Life”
Rommy,
Pan fry the little darlin’s in olive oil (slice ’em in 1/2) until they develop a bit of pan sear (use high heat) then add a number of cloves of sliced garlic, stir & finish with a big pat of butter to glaze everything.
You won’t have any leftovers.
Enjoyed the “Brussels” journey!
Rename them Babylon Balls and they might be more popular at the holiday table!
Did you read Botany of Desire from Michael Pollan? Apples also come from Central Asia…
Loved this. I can picture the sprout plant in the long-stemmed rose box!