Cauliflower is a plant that belongs to the Brassica family, along with cabbage, cabbage and broccoli. It is a vegetable rich in vitamins and minerals, rich in fiber and low in calories, it is widely used in weight loss diets. They are different types of cauliflower which can be added to your diet to load it with good nutrients.
In this article, we are going to tell you about the different types of cauliflower that exist, their characteristics and their nutrients.
types of cauliflower
The part that is eaten is the immature inflorescence, called pella or pineapple, which It has a great flavor and is used in different ways, both raw and cooked. Thanks to its vitamin and mineral contributions, it is beneficial in the treatment of heart and circulatory diseases and in the prevention of certain types of cancer.
green cauliflower
One type of green cauliflower is called romanesco, which is lime green in color and has needles on the surface of the head. They are small heads, slightly smaller than many other types of cauliflower, and the plants themselves tend to be less vigorous than other varieties.
Romanesco has a slightly nutty flavor, much like broccoli, and is a very appealing dish. Green cauliflower, also known as broccoli, comes in different varieties. These types of cauliflower have been on the market for everywhere in Europe and the United States since the beginning of the 1990s, and other popular varieties include Vorda, Alverda and Green Goddess. Romanesco varieties include Veronica and Minarete.
orange cauliflower
Also known as cheddar cauliflower, it is a hybrid that produces bright orange curds. They contain more of the orange pigment called beta-carotene (which acts as a precursor to vitamin A, and because they’re strong, they keep plants looking good even if they don’t flower when harvested.
Indeed, when you cook this cauliflower, takes on a lighter and darker color and, due to its durability, you can harvest the plants at different times instead of all at once and still enjoy their flavor and texture. Orange Bouquet is another type of orange cauliflower.
There are four types of cauliflower: round, domed, cone, and flat, and their variety depends on the harvest cycle, as described below.
purple cauliflower
Graffiti Cauliflower and Purple Cauliflower both have striking purple curds that are tender and sweet.
You can cook these types of cauliflower or add them to salads, and although graffiti cauliflower remains purple even after cooking, purple-headed cauliflower turns green. Like other types of cauliflower, purple cauliflower is rich in vitamins and minerals, very healthy for you, and tastes great.
The purple color in this cauliflower comes from water-soluble pigments that are also present in red wine and cabbage, with purple varieties like Purple Cape and Purple Queen, the latter with very shiny purple curds that have a good raw taste.
In southern Italy and the UK, there is a species of broccoli with small sprouts known as purple cauliflower, although it does not technically fall into this category.
european cauliflower
The original cauliflower was developed in Italy, but has since been introduced to other parts of Europe, including Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands. Some of the most important types are Northern, Anger, Roscoff, Cornish, Erfurt and Snowball. Most grow in cool climates, although Erfurt can be grown in the summer. Here are some characteristics of these cauliflowers:
- Angers cauliflower: deeply wavy toothed leaves; the curd is pure white.
- Cornish cauliflower: long stems, loose leaves, flat curd with lots of flavor.
- Northern cauliflower: wide, wavy leaves; well-protected and tasty curd.
- Roscoff cauliflower: Long, erect leaves with pointed tips; blue-green leaves and white to creamy rennet.
- Snowball and Erfurt Cauliflower: Dwarf plants, short green leaves, curdled and well protected.
indian cauliflower
These cauliflowers are fundamentally different from cauliflowers grown in Europe, mainly because they tolerate high humidity and heat better and ripen quite quickly. Most Indian cauliflowers are a dwarf variety of the Snowball or Erfurt variety.
Types of Summer and Fall Cauliflower
Below we present some varieties with a short cycle of 45 to 90 days, harvested in summer and autumn, such as the following:
Native Romanesco
It has a pyramidal shape with medium-sized light green particles. Broccoli flavor and easy to freeze.
Freemont Cauliflower
Cauliflower varieties have very compact, medium-sized, rounded and flat heads.
Snowball
The particles are fine and dense, with spherical and dense particles of medium size. Snowball cauliflower is an excellent heirloom variety and there may not be a better cauliflower in your garden. Snowball-sized pure white buds can be harvested when they measure as little as 5cm or reach 15cm; can also be forced.
Tremendous
Rustic variety, easy to grow, white coat, fluffy and bushy, broad leaves, medium size, well preserved after harvest.
Types of Late Fall and Winter Cauliflower
Medium-cycle varieties and harvest from late autumn to mid-winter, 3-4 months. The pellets are very compact, more compact than the short cycle varieties. Here are some important examples:
Angers cauliflower
The variety is white, firm and smooth skinned, fine-grained, early and cold-resistant. Excellent variety of winter cauliflower from the Angers region of France. This cauliflower produces large white heads and can be harvested in April. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Transplant when the plant has 4-5 leaves, make rows every 50 cm, with a gap of 50 cm, and do not bury the stems too much. When planting in the ground, plant lightly with a spacing of 50 cm. It thins to a maximum of 50 cm on the production line.
Canberra
Cauliflower native to Australia, medium-sized, white, with very uniform and compact grains.
Primus
French variety, tall, medium, white, spherical, dense, fine-grained, hard-grained.
Cauliflower Durato
Variety of cauliflower from the Netherlands with White, spherical, dense, fine-grained and firm particles.
Hopefully with this information you can learn more about the different types of cauliflower that exist and their characteristics.