General Information
Rapini is botanically a kind of non-heading broccoli. Rapini looks much like tiny bunches of broccoli on long stems nestled among spiky large leaves. A yellow flower or two may appear. Seriously aggressive in the flavor department, this deep green vegetable delivers a ferocious pungent-bitter taste. If given a culinary chance, fans become quite addicted to its extremely bold presence. Rapini is not to be eaten raw.
History
Once highly prized by the Romans and cultivated all over the southern Mediterranean, rapini didn’t appear in North America until the 1920s, when Italian farmers brought it to the United States. For years rapini was favored mainly in the Italian and Asian communities here. The vegetable probably descends from a wild herb, a relative of the turnip, that grew either in China or the Mediterranean region. Today, Rapini is found growing in California, Arizona, New Jersey, Quebec, and Ontario. It is one of the most popular vegetables among the Chinese. It is probably the most popular vegetable in Hong Kong and also widely used in the western world.
