Cauliflower

"Cauliflowers, in name at least, are older than the s, and were brought to a high state of development and widely distributed before the latter are mentioned in history. They were grown in the Mediterranean region long before they became known in other parts of Europe. ... states that three varieties of cauliflower were known in Spain in the twelfth century. In 1565 the cauliflower is reported as being extensively grown in Hayti in the New World. In 1573-1575, , while traveling in the East, found the cauliflower cultivated at Aleppo, in Turkey. It seems to have been introduced into England from the Island of Cyprus, and it is mentioned by , in 1586, under the name of "Cyprus coleworts."

"Cauliflower belongs to the species L. Floral biology and artificial pollination techniques, self-incompatibility, and hybrid breeding are some conventional breeding methods used for cauliflower. ... Brassica oleracea is a species with 2n = 18. All forms of the species, its Chinese crop relative, and several wild relatives share the same and are interfertile. ... Breeding in cauliflower is done for curd quality, curd dimensions, flavor, and resistance to pests and diseases and other environmental stresses."

"TO BOIL CAULIFLOWER WITH PARMESAN. Boil a cauliflower, drain it on a sieve, and cut it into convenient-sized pieces, arrange these pieces in a pudding-basin so as to make them resemble a cauliflower on the dish, season it as you proceed, turn it on the dish, then cover it with a sauce made of grated , , and the seasoned with , , salt, and , and put parmesan grated over it; bake for twenty minutes and brown it."