Market Explorers: Cauliflower

CAULIFLOWERS -at a glance

What other vegetables can you name from the brassica family?

Food family: Brassica (cabbages).

Eatwell Guide group: Fruit and vegetables.

Main nutrient: Vitamin C, for growing and mending cells, like skin.

Origin: First grown in the Mediterranean. Now grown all over the world.

Season: Grown and harvested all year round in the UK. Storage: Store whole in the fridge or break into florets and freeze.

SIZE About 19cm in diameter

TOP FACT!

The leaves stop the sunlight getting to the head so it stays white.

Did you know?

We say rugby players have ‘cauliflower ears’ when their ears have been hit too many times and become lumpy, like a cauliflower.

Edible outer leaves protect the head

Floret

Stem

Photo © LoveFoodHateWasteNSW

GROWING History

The very first cauliflowers were grown in one of the countries close to the Mediterranean Sea, possibly the island of Cyprus.

World record!

The world’s largest cauliflower was recorded in the UK in 2014. It was 2 metres wide and weighed 27 kilos.

That’s 20 times more than a normal cauliflower!

The first person to write about the cauliflower in English was a man called John Gerard, who wrote a famous book about plants in 1597.

He called it “cole florie”.

In the 17th century, King Louis XIV of France loved eating cauliflower seasoned with nutmeg and covered with butter.

where is it grown today?

It is grown all over the world.

China and India grow the most.

In the UK you will see big fields of it growing in Lincolnshire and Kent.

Say hello to the traders when you visit the Market!

At Borough Market you will find it at: Chegworth Valley, Elsey & Bent, Paul Wheeler, Ted’s Veg, and Turnips.

From this... ... to this

A cauliflower starts life as a tiny seed

Cauliflowers are cut by hand, trimmed, washed, and packed in the field in minutes

The cauliflower is ready to harvest when the leaves start opening

Seeds are sown in soil undercover and kept moist

How is it

grown?

The first heads appear after about 90 days wrapped in big leaves

After about 10 days leaf shoots will appear

About a month later the young plants are planted outside

Cauliflower grows all year round but especially likes the cooler weather in early spring or autumn when it’s chilly at night.

That’s why it’s called a cool season vegetable.

VARIETIES There are hundreds to choose from including purple of Sicily (purple head), cheddar (orange head), green goddess (green head), andsnow white (white head).

Sic

i ly

Sn

f o Pu r p l e Did you know?

All cauliflowers taste similar, apart from the purple variety that is a little nuttier and sweeter.

ow

w h it e

Ch e

Romanesco

dd

ar

The pale green romanesco looks a little bit like cauliflower and a little bit like broccoli.

Instead of looking like trees, the florets grow in a very special geometric pattern. These matching pointed spirals repeat and repeat.

G re

en g oddess

Mathematicians call this a ‘fractal pattern’.

Use a magnifying glass to compare a Romanesco with a cauliflower. Have a go at drawing some of the patterns you can see.

COOKING & EATING!

You can eat every part of a cauliflower.

The leaves are delicious cooked the same way as cabbage.

Show + Share We’d love to see all your experiments with cauliflower so don’t forget to take some pictures to share!

Tag #marketexplorers and tell us why you love cauliflower

NUTRITION

COOKING

Did you know? 100g of chopped cauliflower has as much vitamin C as an orange. No wonder it is one of our five a day.

Follow these easy recipes for deliciously scrummy cauliflower!

PREP A very fresh cauliflower won’t have any brown spots on the head and you will be able to snap off the florets easily, but don’t worry, you can still cook with a cauliflower that’s a bit past its best. Rinse the cauliflower under running water to remove any soil. Now it is ready to be roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed, pickled or even eaten raw.

a How much paprik do you like?

MEXICAN Give your cauliflower a Mexican inspired twist.

1. Break the florets off a fresh cauliflower head.

2. Rinse in cold water.

3. Shake well.

4. Serve the raw florets with some mayonnaise flavoured with sweet or spicy paprika. Add a little at a time as it can be quite strong!

INDIAN

Spice up your cauliflower with Indian flavours.

1. Put some olive oil into a large bowl and mix in crushed garlic and some medium curry powder or paste mix well.

2. Stir in the florets and tip out onto a lined baking tray.

3. Ask an adult to put the tray into the oven at 200˚C for about 20 minutes.

your s i h c i h W e? favourit ? cold Hot or

4. Delicious hot or cold!

BRITISH Stick with a British favourite: cauliflower cheese.

1. Add cauliflower florets to a saucepan of salted boiling water. Boil for about 4-5 minutes until almost tender.

2. Drain and add to an oven proof dish.

3. Melt 75g cheese into a white sauce (see Borough Market’s ‘Milk’ unit for the recipe). Pour over the cauliflower.

4. Sprinkle with grated cheese and put into the oven at 180˚C for about 20 minutes.

Try adding extr a flavours to the sa uce like mustard, coo ked bacon or some o f your favourite sp ices

Tag us!

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@boroughmarket #marketexplorers

© Borough Market 2020

This unit is part of Borough Market’s Market Explorers series, helping primary school children discover more about the produce sold in the Market. Each booklet looks at a specific ingredient from field to fork, and has been devised in collaboration with children’s cooking authors and TV consultants Sally Brown and Kate Morris – the duo behind CBeebies ‘i can cook’ and ‘My World Kitchen’.