By Anupum Pant
Do you remember those massive, muscular Belgian cows? Those super cows were a result of patient selective breeding over many years. No steroids of genetic modifications were involved. Well, there’s something else very similar to how these cows came into existence, which you probably see everyday and yet never realize. Broccoli!
Several years back, probably 1000-2000 years ago, there was no broccoli. It came about in existence after some patient horticulturists selectively bred wild cabbage plants. Broccoli is actually a human innovation, which became popular in modern times only when, in the 16th century, farmers in Italy started growing it. It came to England only in 1720 and to America, much later, in the last century.
With every iteration of selection, cabbage plants with larger and tastier buds were selected and reproduced over and over again. Broccoli, to some extent, can actually be considered as a man-made food. In other words, it was invented / designed by man.
Man-made, yes. But not a genetically modified organism. So, your organic broccoli is as organic as anything else which is classified as organic.
via [PonderWeasel]
But how did the ancients cross the cabbage with the cauliflower, as I thought you could only grow cauliflower from the seeds?
Broccoli and cauliflower are both cultivars of Brassica oleracea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_oleracea