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Brussels sprouts get their name from the fact that they were
widely cultivated around Brussels, possibly as early as the
1200s.
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A member of the cruciferous family, such as kale, broccoli, and
cauliflower, cabbage is packed with vitamin C and minerals, is rich
in anti-oxidants and is generally one of the cheaper vegetables to
buy.
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The carrot gets its popularity from its cheery colour and sweet,
comforting taste, but it wasn't always so.
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There are many varieties of cauliflower from the rich,
exotic-looking Purple cauliflower to the sculptural, swirling lime
green Romanesco.
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Celeriac is a comparative newcomer to England, first recorded in
the 1720s. Today it is popular in France and rarely seen outside
Europe or Western Asia.
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Dates are one of the world's oldest foods. They grow on date
palms, which have been cultivated for thousands of years; wild date
seeds dating back as far as 50,000 years have been found in
Iraq.
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The Jerusalem artichoke doesn't come from Jerusalem, and it
isn't an artichoke. It's a knobbly root, native to North America
but now widely grown in Britain.
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This member of the onion and garlic family is one of the most
useful vegetables to have in your kitchen.
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The lemon is native to south-east Asia, but now grows all over
the world in warm and temperate regions.
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There are hundreds of types of mushrooms, and the ones we eat
are a minority. Mushrooms are cultivated on a huge scale - usually
the familiar white/brown mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitakes and
enokis.
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Parsnips have been cultivated for thousands of years, and were a
staple food until the arrival of the potato.
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The potato is a tuber, and a dietary staple for people over the
world. Potatoes can be waxy or floury, and different types are used
for different purposes.
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The arrival of purple sprouting broccoli comes as a relief in
late February and March, when we've had our fill of beige root
vegetables.
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We treat rhubarb as a fruit but it is actually a vegetable. Only
the long, green/pink stems of this plant are edible (the leaves are
toxic).
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The swede is unlikely to win any beauty contests. Larger than a
turnip, it's a big round root with a thick, beige/purple skin, and
can seem a bit intimidating.
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The sweet potato - also known as a yam - is a tuber with a
yellow/orange or creamy flesh. It's full of fibre, vitamins A, C
and B6, and is an excellent source of carbohydrates.
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The turnip belongs to the mustard family, though you wouldn't
necessarily guess it. This root - usually round, in shades of white
and purple - is a firm, starchy and slightly sweet vegetable.
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