1. The Italians have been eating broccoli since at least 600BC when it was loved by ancient Romans.
2. The word ‘broccoli’ is the plural of ‘broccolo’ which is Italian for the flowering top of a cabbage…
3. …and ‘broccolo’ is a diminutive of ‘brocco’ meaning a shoot or stalk.
4. Over 22 million tons of broccoli is produced worldwide every year.
5. According to a survey in 2009, broccoli is the sixth most commonly misspelt word in English.
6. “I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.” (George Bush Sr, 1990)…
7. …but in 2013, President Obama described broccoli as his favourite food.
8. A song called Broccoli is on the Room On The 3rd Floor album by English pop rock band McFly.
9. In 1724, Philip Miller’s “Gardener’s Dictionary” referred to broccoli as “Italian asparagus”.
10. Broccoli was brought to Britain from Antwerp in the 1720s by sculptor Peter Scheemakers.
Daily Express :: Life and Style Feed
