edible maths

[mercia]

wow, just came across this - Romanesco broccoli - isn't it wonderful
have you eaten any ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fractal_Broccoli.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesco_broccoli

http://www.fourmilab.ch/images/Romanesco/

[Bryn]

wow, just came across this - Romanesco broccoli - isn't it wonderful
have you eaten any ?

No, but I now want to grow it.

[mercia]

No, but I now want to grow it.

http://www.allotment.org.uk/grow-your-own/vegetables/romanesco

looks as if it takes up a lot of room in the veg. patch

[doversoul1]

Sorry to be a wet blanket but as far as I know, Romanesco broccoli is more cauliflower than broccoli than the name may suggest. Each plant grows one solid head rather than loose/soft bunches of flower heads. I gave up growing cauliflowers and broccoli because they tend to come more or less all at the same time, and as I could only grow them in summer, they did not stay as tight heads more than a few days the most. Plus by the time the ‘heads’ were ready, all those little nooks and crannies had been taken up by various inhabitants…

This may well be one of those vegetables that are best bought when you fancy it. I am perfectly happy with old-fashioned purple sprouting to see me through late winter and well into spring.

Still, it was some time ago when I grew them and things might have changed, so good luck, Bryn, if you are going to try, and do keep us posted.

[umslopogaas]

I havent tried it, but am tempted to have a go. To quote from the Plant World Seeds catalogue:

ROMANESCO

£1.60 BROCCOLI - MINIMUM OF 150 SEEDS

This celebrated Italian heirloom produces attractive lime green heads made up of a mass of small conical florets. It has a superb flavour, a more tender texture than regular broccoli, and grows exceptionally well in cool, Northern areas.

[mercia]

This may well be one of those vegetables that are best bought when you fancy it.

I'm sure you're right
is it readily available in the shoppes?

[doversoul1]

I'm sure you're right
is it readily available in the shoppes?

Ah, that’s the point. I have seen it in Sainsbury’s but they don’t have it in their online list at present.

[Pianorak]

mercia - thanks for the links. How absolutely fascinating!

Look for the Fibonacci numbers in fruit.

What about a banana? Count how many "flat" surfaces it is made from - is it 3 or perhaps 5? When you've peeled it, cut it in half (as if breaking it in half, not lengthwise) and look again. Surprise! There's a Fibonacci number.
What about an apple? Instead of cutting it from the stalk to the opposite end (where the flower was), i.e. from "North pole" to "South pole", try cutting it along the "Equator". Surprise! there's your Fibonacci number!

[amateur51]

I'm sure you're right
is it readily available in the shoppes?

I've encountered it in Waitrose and in my local farmers' market.

It's great to look at but a bit of a so'n'so to cook because your instinct tells you to keep it whole to preserve that extraordinary shape but your experience as a cook tells you to chop it up for even-steaming, thus losing the shape.

And in the end its flavour is nor more/less than cauliflower or broccoli - nice enough but it's got to be served al dente rather than mushy

[mercia]

I don't think I would eat it
just stare at it and dream psychedelic dreams ..................

[Frances_iom]

I've seen it at several street markets (tho possibly not so much this year) in SE, taste is same as cauliflower tho seems to keep a bit firmer during cooking

[french frank]

I would have had it in my veggie box yesterday, except I only order once a fortnight and yesterday wasn't my day.

This is their recipe (which I shall make using broccoli in a minute).

[doversoul1]

Talking about self-similarity (Re: mercia’s link), last winter, quite a lot of my Brussels sprouts had rows of mini Brussels sprouts on their somewhat overgrown stalks. Imagine each mini BS will be growing mini-mini sprouts, and each mini-mini-BS will be growing mini-mini-mini….

[vinteuil]

Talking about self-similarity (Re: mercia’s link), last winter, quite a lot of my Brussels sprouts had rows of mini Brussels sprouts on their somewhat overgrown stalks. Imagine each mini BS will be growing mini-mini sprouts, and each mini-mini-BS will be growing mini-mini-mini….

... as Swift put it in 1733 -


So, naturalists observe, a flea
Has smaller fleas that on him prey;
And these have smaller still to bite 'em,
And so proceed ad infinitum...

[french frank]

It's a tribute to this community that even in the Refreshment Room the talk is of fractals, the Fibonacci sequence and Swift's On Poetry: A Rhapsody.

The pasta was excellent, drizzled with Olive oil aromatizzato al tartufo bianco. Adds a delightful tincture to the taste of the broccoli. Plus Coop plonk.