Fractal Broccoli

THE HEIRLOOM ITALIAN BROCCOLI, ROMANESCO, HAS A COMPLEX AND BEAUTIFUL FRACTAL PATTERN SEQUENCE THAT DEMONSTRATES A RECURSIVE HELICAL ARRANGEMENT OF CONES, A COMMON MATHEMATICAL SEQUENCE USED IN 3D COMPUTER ANIMATIONS.

Mother Nature has an apple too, but hers is not a computer. This split geometry is not rare at all in the plant kingdom, after all the Fibonacci Sequence and the power of five, is a common sight in the autumn – think of the seed head of a sunflower. In this beautiful head of Romanesco Broccoli, nature takes this patterning a step further –  into a 3 dimensional realm. Scientists call this design  a mathematically correct recursive helical arrangements of cones. So, in a  sense, this could  Kai’s Power Tools Fractal Broccoli.

Whatever, it’s cool, and delicious, and even though Romanesco Broccoli may have the same Latin name as regular broccoli, it does taste a bit different, much more sweet and nutty. It’s real gift however is its crunchiness and tenderness, unparalleled in the great family of crucifers. I nice head like this will crumble and snap into a thousand tiny morsels. For this very reason, fine chefs prefer this version of broccoli for raw, crunchy crudites and dishes. Sadly, this variety is seasonal, so look now for heads at your high-end market this fall.