Fiolaro Broccoli (B. oleracea var. Italica)

Fiolaro Broccoli (B. oleracea var. Italica): very ancient, rare variety, to consume the leaves and the "fioi""children in Veneto's dialect, which are the inflorescences that rise along the stem. Resistant to cold, in fact frost improves its characteristics, it is also rustic, although cultivated like broccoli it has a much more interesting taste. According to the Slow Food foundation, that in Vicenza has included the product in theArk of Taste"(credits at the bottom): "The name of this vegetable derives from the presence of shoots inserted along the stem of the plant, known in dialect as‘ fioi ’and that end up in the pan, along with the younger leaves. A product that has the particularity of not resembling the other varieties of broccoli either in shape or taste. The harvest of broccoli lasts from November to February, although, according to tradition, the tastiest are those of the first frosts, when in order to defend itself against the cold, the evergreen limits the presence of water in the tissues increasing the concentration of salts and sugars, which make it tastier. Rich in vitamins, minerals and calcium, fiolaro, like all cabbages, is a valid dietary alternative to cheese. The cultivation of this vegetable dates back to the ancient Romans. Cato The Elder talks about it, recognising its medicinal properties. But the first to fall in love with this typical product was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, during the stage in Vicenza of his trip to Italy, which the German poet undertook in 1786. On September 23 of the same year, Goethe, visiting the Vicenza market, drew an image of a young peasant woman carrying a flexible wooden arch on her shoulders, at the ends of which hung two baskets full of vegetables. It was the ‘bigòlo’, a daily work tool of the peasants, but there is no evidence, of course, that those baskets contained Creazzo's broccoli. The Fiolaro broccoli is in danger of disappearing as production is now reduced to two growers on the hill of Creazzo, in the province of Vicenza."
Credits: https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/it/arca-del-gusto-slow-food/broccolo-fiolaro/