Ever seen this weird looking veggie in an Italian market or grocery store? No, it’s not just baby broccoli –in fact, it’s a different species entirely! This weird little broccoli look-alike has a slightly bitter, nutty taste that can be used in so many ways! So let’s get to know Rapini, also called Broccoli Raab.
A plant by any other name:
This veggie is a cultivar of Brassica Rapa, and in English it goes by the names Rapini, and Broccoli Rabe or Broccoli Raab, depending on how you’d like to spell it. I’ve heard it pronounced both “Broccoli Rob and Broccoli Robbie.”
It’s known in Italian as Broccoletti di Rapa, and in Portugal and Spain as “Grelos de Nabo” or simply “Grelos.”
Know it
Rapini is in the Brassica genus, a group of plants that was one of the first to be cultivated and gives us dozens of important crops. A little further down on the family tree, we find the species: Brassica Rapa. This is the species that also gives us turnips, napa cabbage and bok choy.
All from the same species — Wow!
But wait, there’s more!
If you want to get super specific, Rapini is actually a subspecies of Brassica Rapa, which is just named “Rapa.”
This name for the subspecies is the same as the name for the species which is a little unsatisfying.
0/10 for creativity.
Anyhow, if you want to refer to Rapini scientifically, its full name is Brassica Rapa subspecies Rapa.
Like I mentioned before, Broccoli Raab is technically the same species as turnips. Both of these veggies are descended from a common ancestor, a wild mustard from the Mediterranean region. The difference is, broccoli raab was bred over the generations to have large flower buds while the turnip was bred to have large roots.
Pictured below is Yours Truly holding a beautiful bouquet of Broccoli Raab for a special someone… me!
Even though they are the same species, Rapini does not make a very large or tasty root. Turnips do, however, make flower buds, if they bolt that is. Once a turnip bolts the root gets tough and woody anyway so you might as well eat the flower buds — they just wont be a large or as tasty as rapini.
Meet it
1000 years ago, you’d have to travel to the Mediterranean to find you some Broccoli Raab, or rather, its less palatable ancestors.
Rapini is still especially popular in the cuisines of this region. In parts of countries like Italy, Portugal, and Spain, Rapini plays an important part in the local cuisines. In Gallacia, a community in Northwestern Spain, it even has its own festival!
Nowadays, you don’t have to catch a flight to find Broccoli Raab, but it can still be elusive. If you live in a place with a significant Italian population or a foodie scene, you should be able to find it in grocery stores or farmers’ markets.
If you do come across it in the store, be careful not to confuse Rapini with Broccolini, which looks like this:
Broccolini looks like long, skinny broccoli, whereas Rapini, pictured below, usually comes with leaves attached. The flower buds look rounder as well.
While Broccolini is another tasty cruciferous vegetable, it’s not the same as Rapini at all! Broccolini is actually a hybrid between European broccoli and Gai Lan — also known as Chinese broccoli. But that’s an article for another day.
If you can’t find Rapini available for purchase anywhere, fret not! It’s fairly easy to cultivate — which brings us to our next section.
Grow it
The leaves of this plant are serrated and a more vibrant shade of green compared to related veggies like broccoli and collards, which have rounder leaves with a more Blue-ish Grey Green color.
Growing Rapini isn’t too different from growing other Brassicas. It likes cool temperatures, so plant it just as you would its brother (turnips) or cousin (broccoli). Here in south central Texas that means we start this plant in the fall and grow through the winter when the weather is nice and cool.
You can start this plant indoors under lights in late summer to give it a head start during hot summer months when baby plants would fry to a crisp outside. You may also want to start seeds indoors if you find it easier to plant a larger plant than a tiny seed.
If you’d rather not deal with all that, sow outdoors in fall through winter and even early spring.
After the plants have grown for a while, it will send up flowering stalks. This one in the photo above is about to do just that. The stalk should be harvested before they are allowed to flower and set seed.
The plants will produce the most in full sun, but should tolerate a fair amount of shade, especially for later plantings when it starts to get hot. Once the temperatures rise, the plant realizes that its time to make seeds!
As you can see in the picture below, I cut the original stem of this plant, but it sprouted up again with a second harvest!
If you wait too long, the flower buds will burst open to reveal delicate little yellow flowers. You can still harvest while there are only a few flowers, but once a lot of them start to show, the plant is pretty much done. You could let them flower to attract pollinators and beneficial insects to your garden, and if you’ve got enough planted you can save seed for next year.
Eat it
You can eat this plant whole –leaves, stems, buds, and flowers. I avoid the older leaves and the lower, thicker stems because they can get a little tough and woody. Just give the plant a trim at the base to harvest.
As for the flavor? It has a pleasantly bitter taste with a nuttiness that tastes vaguely like almonds.
In terms of cooking, I think simple is a great way to go with this veggie. It’s fantastic simply sauteed with a little garlic and some olive oil, with some salt and freshly ground pepper of course. (Blanching is optional, I usually don’t bother.)
In addition to sauteeing, you can also try braising or steaming, or adding it into soups, pastas, hoagies (or subs, if you must call them that) as well as any other dish you can think of. Recipes coming soon!
Thanks for reading! I hope I’ve inspired you to get more in touch with where your food comes from. If you enjoyed this article, check out some other things I’ve written and subscribe to be notified when I write something new!
