A bowl of brussel sprouts sits next to a knife.
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Whether or not you grew up within the 80s or have simply watched lots of 80s tv, there was a working joke that each one youngsters hated Brussels sprouts. Arguably, the vegetable nonetheless has a foul fame, nevertheless it not deserves it. Brussels sprouts style higher in 2023, and there’s a scientific motive why (and no, it’s not as a result of folks make them with bacon).

Brussels sprouts bitter taste was bred out of them within the Nineties, and ever since then, they’ve been a vegetable you’ll truly need to eat.

Did Brussels sprouts beforehand style that unhealthy? Whereas there have been clearly individuals who loved the dish, the overwhelming consensus appears to be sure, they usually had been bitter. It was that bitterness that made consuming them so hellish. Enter: Dutch scientist Hans van Doorn.

Van Doorn labored at Novartis which, on the time, nonetheless managed its seed part (which is now often known as Syngenta). As a scientist there, he remoted the chemical compounds in Brussels sprouts that gave them a bitter style.

As soon as these compounds had been identified, corporations began on the lookout for outdated seed varieties that had decrease ranges of them. When discovered, they had been grown after which cross-pollinated with trendy iterations. Ultimately, the bitter style was bred out of Brussels sprouts with a bit of science and a few inexperienced thumbs.

Now, Brussels sprouts are arguably in vogue. Not solely can you discover crispy Brussels sprouts on appetizer menus at eating places, however Brussels sprout recipes have even gone viral on TikTok. So possibly the resurgence of Brussels sprouts wasn’t in your Bingo card for this decade, however maybe it ought to have been.

Should you haven’t had Brussels sprouts for the reason that 80s, it is perhaps time to try a few recipes and determine for your self if this maligned vegetable is scrumptious or nonetheless as gross as you bear in mind.


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