What happened to Brussels sprouts?

It’s not your imagination: Brussels sprouts used to suck.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆-𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆:
-Barba, FJ, Nikmaram, N, Roohinejad, S; Khelfa, A, Zhu, Z; Koubaa, M (2016). Bioavailability of Glucosinolates and Their Breakdown Products: Impact of Processing. Frontiers in Nutrition, 3. doi:10.3389/fnut.2016.00024
-Hanschen, FS; Lamy, E; Schreiner, M; Rohn, S (2014). Reactivity and Stability of Glucosinolates and Their Breakdown Products in Foods. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 53(43), 11430–11450. doi:10.1002/anie.201402639
-Kushad, MM.; Brown, AF; Kurilich, AC; Juvik, JA; Klein, BP; Wallig, MA; Jeffery, EH (1999). Variation of Glucosinolates in Vegetable Crops of Brassica oleracea. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 47(4), 1541–1548. doi:10.1021/jf980985s
-Traka, M; Mithen, R (2009). Glucosinolates, isothiocyanates and human health. , 8(1), 269–282. doi:10.1007/s11101-008-9103-7

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀:

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰:
-Dr. Luke Bell, Lecturer in Temperate Horticulture at the University of Reading School of Agriculture, Policy & Development

MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Bill Mead, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC.

[MinuteFood]

So what's your favorite way to eat Brussels sprouts (or other Brassicas)?

[incorporealnuance]

My mother cooked every vegetable by boiling it until they were borderline paste. _Every vegetable._ Needless to say, I'm slowly discovering that I didn't hate vegetables, my mom just didn't know how to cook them.

[starRushi]

This just reminds me of when I was a kid and thought Brussels sprouts were mini cabbage rolls. I’ll never get over the betray of finding out they weren’t, no matter how well they’re cooked.

[nthbme]

I used to hate how bitter Brussels sprouts were as a kid, so I was suprised when I had them again last year and I could actually eat them even though my sense of bitterness taste hasn't changed. This explains why!

[mumflrfumperdink]

I ALWAYS LOVED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
When I was little I was always confused why tv shows kept making them sound like they're disgusting. Turns out I was just young enough to have had post-2000s sprouts when producers were still used to pre-2000s.

[timseguine]

When I was a kid, anytime I ate at the house of a friend who "didn't like vegetables" I quickly gained an understanding of why.

Turns out most things taste bad if you overcook them.

[mikkosaarinen]

We stopped destroying our foods 😂 It wasn't just the brussels sprouts, it was also broccoli, green beans, cabbage etc.

[TigruArdavi]

Always loved Brussel sprouts. In German they are called Rosenkohl, meaning rose cabbage. Fairly popular. My favourite is shortly boiled for a few minutes, quenched with cold water (that keeps them vividly green so they don't turn greyish), cut in halves or quarters and then simmered in a walnut or hazelnut cream sauce for a few more minutes. Served with traditional Swabian pasta called "Spätzle". So unbelievably awesome, try it! Also very good stir-fried or as a casserole.

[JonathanKayne]

Another thing might just be your age. For some people, your tolerance for bitter foods increases as you get older.
I know that as I approached the age of 21 I really started to enjoy bitter foods and brassicas. And a year ago I started to like the taste of coffee that I used to hate

[tparadox]

As a kid in the late 90s/early 00s, I was baffled by how prevalent "kids hate broccoli" was as an idea. It was my favorite vegetable, especially steamed with cheese sauce, but also raw with ranch. I tried boiled Brussels sprouts once or twice and my impression was that they tasted exactly the same as broccoli, but the texture didn't do it for me. More recently I've had them roasted a few times and I definitely didn't have to force myself to choke them down.

It's weird, because I have a sensitivity and aversion to bitterness in general, especially in stuff like club soda and alcoholic beverages (it takes me a few sips to get past the bitterness of a beer/wine/spirit and appreciate the flavors underneath) but I've never found brassicas or cilantro to be disgustingly bitter. I find cauliflower disgusting but not from overwhelming bitterness.

[SMEGMA]

It's crazy that boiling these was once standard practice. Just sauté with some olive oil then add some balsamic vinegar after and Brussels sprouts are so good!

[doomcheeks]

I was talking with someone in a food group about how we all hated vegetables as kids because our parents usually boiled them to death and served them with just salt, if anything. I think it was partly diet culture that made people feel like low calorie foods had to stay low calorie, which meant not adding any fats or flavors. And it was easy, seeing as the meat and potatoes on our plate took all the cook's attention and the greens were an afterthought.

Nowadays as cooks, many of us are giving just as much attention to flavoring vegetables as we are the main dish. I love Brussels sprouts and many other vegetables now that I can cook and flavor them how I want.

[Golgafrincham]

Me and my wife had an epiphany a couple of years back. Neither of us had good memories of Brussels sprouts, but we decided to give it a chance. Frying in a pan with some butter and salt makes them taste wonderful. I will definitely look into roasting sometime! Awesome videos by the way, keep it up! Always looking forward the next one :)

[sharonoddlyenough]

I always loved brussels sprouts, going back 4 decades. When I was a kid, fat was demonized, so when I was at friend's houses, it wasn't uncommon to eat bland steamed veggies without seasoning or butter.

[rfldss]

as a late 90s kid, I can assert with absolute confidence and no scientific evidence whatsoever, that the boiling and steaming fad of the 90s and early 2000s contributedly to a great extent to how negatively people view vegetables nowadays. We don't just boil meat up, and expect it to taste any good, why would we treat vegetables any different? The irony is that steaming was preferred over other cooking methods, presumably because it kept more of the vitamins intact, but there's no point in preserving all those nutrients if no child wants to eat them.

[hitaishibarai]

Extremely adorable animations as always...I've always been a sucker for these kind of toons in real life animation job. Would love a video about sugar addiction as well if possible. Vid is amazing and informative as always....

[zerevv]

I laugh at penny coming out of nowhere in 0:47

[kriegswaffel]

I had Brussels sprouts as a kid (pre 2000s) and they were okay; we usually had them from the area and only harvested after the weather turned cold, and that significantly affected bitterness as well. Same rule goes for Kale where I live.

[VeroniqueGagnonBilhete]

One year I was in charge of sides for Christmas dinner, and one of the things I brought were some roasted brussel sprouts. My parents were impressed and at the time I didn't understand why. I was thinking it's nothing special, I just chucked them in the oven with olive oil and salt. Now after watching this it totally makes sense.

[dineinunes]

0:44 I was not expecting to see Penny in a video about brussels sprouts