of different molecules including each other; this gives the flesh an evenly dark tone, and leaves few phenolics free to cause astringency Some artichoke phenolics have antioxidant and cholesterol-lowering effects, and one in particular, a compound dubbed cynarin, has the unusual effect of making foods eaten after a bite of artichoke taste sweet Cynarin apparently inhibits the sweet receptors on our taste buds, so when it’s swept off the tongue by the next bite, the receptors start up again, and we notice the contrast Because they therefore distort the flavor of other foods, artichokes are thought to be an inappropriate accompaniment to fine wines The Cabbage Family: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Romanesco These vegetables are all varieties of cabbage in which the normal development of flower stalks and flowers is arrested, so that the immature flowering tissues proliferate and accumulate into large masses Based on recent genetic and geographic analysis, it appears that broccoli arose in Italy and in turn gave rise to cauliflower, which was known in Europe by the 16th century In the case of broccoli, extra flower-stalk tissue develops, fuses into thick “spears,” and then goes on to produce clusters of small green flower buds In cauliflower and its interestingly angular, green variant, romanesco, the stalk-production stage is extended indefinitely and forms a dense mass or “curd” of immature flowerstalk branches Because the curd is developmentally immature, it remains relatively unfibrous and rich in cell-wall pectins and hemicelluloses (p 265), and so can be pureed to a very fine, creamy consistency (and if overcooked whole, it readily turns to mush) To get as white a cauliflower curd as possible, growers usually ... Because the curd is developmentally immature, it remains relatively unfibrous and rich in cell-wall pectins and hemicelluloses (p 265), and so can be pureed to a very fine, creamy consistency (and if overcooked whole,... that broccoli arose in Italy and in turn gave rise to cauliflower, which was known in Europe by the 16th century In the case of broccoli, extra flower-stalk tissue develops, fuses into thick “spears,” and then goes on to produce clusters of small... then goes on to produce clusters of small green flower buds In cauliflower and its interestingly angular, green variant, romanesco, the stalk-production stage is extended indefinitely and forms a dense mass or “curd” of immature flowerstalk branches