Brussels Sprouts Really Are From Brussels
To sprout is to begin to grow. The vegetable named after Brussels genuinely comes from that region, and its bitterness was bred out in the 1990s.
To sprout is to start growing, and a sprout is the new shoot itself. The Brussels sprout is not a loose association: the vegetable was cultivated around Brussels from at least the sixteenth century. Its reputation improved for a measurable reason — in the 1990s a Dutch researcher identified the compounds behind the bitterness, and growers bred varieties with less of them.
- To begin to grow. *The seeds sprouted in a week.*
- A young shoot. *Bean sprouts.*
- To appear suddenly. *Cafés sprouted along the street.*
- Brussels sprout — the vegetable. *Roast the sprouts.*
- Sprout up — grow quickly. *He has sprouted up this year.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | sprout | Onions sprout. |
| Past | sprouted | It sprouted early. |
| Noun | sprout | A green sprout. |
| Plural | sprouts | Brussels sprouts. |
| Related | shoot | New shoots. |
- The potatoes have sprouted in the cupboard.Everyday.
- Bean sprouts go in at the last minute.Cooking.
- New start-ups sprouted across the district.Figurative.
Why sprouts taste different now
- The bitter compounds are glucosinolates, natural pest defences
- Identified in the 1990s by Dutch researcher Hans van Doorn
- Old seed varieties were crossed with modern high-yield ones
- The result — milder sprouts that still grow well
- Cooking matters too — long boiling releases sulphur compounds and ruins them
Old English *sprutan*, to sprout, from a Germanic root also behind *spurt* and *spout*. The vegetable name is recorded in English from the late 1700s.
Are Brussels sprouts really from Brussels?
Yes. They were widely cultivated around the city from at least the sixteenth century, which is where the name comes from.
Why did sprouts stop tasting so bitter?
Growers bred varieties with lower levels of the bitter compounds after researchers identified them in the 1990s.