Why do we eat Brussel Sprouts at Christmas??

Seb_bixby

Hi all,
We were having a conversation at work today, and this question came up. "Why do we eat Brussel Sprouts at Christmas?". We had a look on the internet and couldn't find an answer to this. It's like a tradition but we could find no information on it, why or where it originated. If anyone could shed some light on this that would be great!! :D:D
Thanks!

rubadub

Its all a scam dreamt up by the food suppliers who otherwise could not get rid of this muck at any other time of year. Along with the turkey breeders and marzipan makers, its all a conspiracy, they invented jesus too, John the Baptist was a well known turkey breeder. Judas grew the sprouts!

Alun

Partly because sprouts are in season at this time of the year. They're also frost hardy, so traditionally would be available fresh from the garden even in the hardest winters. I love them personally, and eat them whenever they're available, Christmas or not.

tfak85

i love them so much! roast them up with a little honey and some bacon pieces!

apparently those of us that do not like the taste of sprouts have (or do not have - i can never remember which) an enzyme in their mouth which make them taste sour instead of totally delicious!

Aidric

Hate the taste of 'em.

Honey-ec

Alun wrote: »

Partly because sprouts are in season at this time of the year. They're also frost hardy, so traditionally would be available fresh from the garden even in the hardest winters. I love them personally, and eat them whenever they're available, Christmas or not.

Wot he said. Why do we eat strawberries in summer?

Apart from the "supertaster" gene (which is rarer than most people would have you believe), I maintain that the reason a lot of people don't like sprouts is because the vast majority of Irish people overcook them. I love sprouts, but even I wouldn't eat the drab, soggy mush that most people serve them as.

Two golden rules (goes for boiled sprouts only):

1) Never, EVER cut a cross in the bottom of them - this just makes them soggy

2) If you're doing them specifically for Christmas, boil them in the ham water. You won't believe the difference this makes to the taste.

And a third one for any Irish Mammies (my own included) who may be reading - take them off the heat and drain them 5 minutes before you think they're done. They'll continue to cook from their own heat while you're dishing everything else up.

bonkey

Its funny...as I've gotten older, sprout season seems to come earlier and earlier, with the result that by Christmas its harder and harder to find decent sprouts that aren't bitter.

The last two years, we grew our own. No tricks to force them or anything...just let them take their time. Apparently, sprouts taste best after the first frost...and either I imagined it, or thats *so* true.

I've been out picking them with a foot of snow on the ground, in temperatures so low that they are literally frozen solid on the plant....and they come through it fine.

Perfect christmas veg, to be honest.

John Mason

cos they are yummers and you always have your yummist foods at christmas:)

bonkey

Honey-ec wrote: »

And a third one for any Irish Mammies (my own included) who may be reading - take them off the heat and drain them 5 minutes before you think they're done.

I'm glad I'm not an Irish Mammie. If I took them off the heat 5 minutes before I thought they were done, they'd never go onto the heat.

Dizzyblonde

I love sprouts! For Christmas dinner I toss them in some tiny bits of ham and wholegrain mustard - yummy

lucylu

I suppose Brussel sprouts are in season that is why they are eaten at Christmas time.
Yea can beat going out Christmas Morning to pick Brussel sprouts from the garden... pure satisfaction

tfak85

what do they call brussel sprouts in Belgium?


sprouts!:D

i just had some for dinner - goooood!

Alun

tfak85 wrote: »

what do they call brussel sprouts in Belgium?

Depends ... if they were Flemish speaking they'd call them 'spruiten' or 'spruitjes', if they were French speaking they'd call them 'choux de Bruxelles', which quite literally means 'Brussels cabbage'

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chou_de_Bruxelles

If you speak French there's an interesting piece on that page on the history of the sprout and why they were initially cultivated. (Short version: to save space!)

Seaneh

Blanch the sprouts in the ham water, sautee some lardons on bacon in some butter, add some roasted chestnuts when the bacon is browned a little, throw in the sporuts, tossing them in the butter/bacon fats and cook for a few minutes untill thee sprouts are done.

nom nom.

dh0661

Alun wrote: »

'choux de Bruxelles', which quite literally means 'Brussels cabbage'

someone! - made a balls of the cabbage:rolleyes:

watna

I eat them because if I don't my mum won't let me have any dessert.

I'm 25 years old.

and I'm not joking - she has a thing that for it to be a Christmas dinner we all have to eat at least 2 sprouts. I think it's because she always forgets that we don't like them and buys and cooks them every Christmas so doesn't want them to go to waste!

the beer revolu

Honey-ec wrote: »

1) Never, EVER cut a cross in the bottom of them - this just makes them soggy

Cutting the cross always made sense to me. It's the hard stalk bit you cut which allows that bit to cook in the shorter time it takes the rest of the sprout to cook.
no?

Now, I'm talking about a very shallow cut - just in the stalk bit.

Honey-ec

the beer revolu wrote: »

Cutting the cross always made sense to me. It's the hard stalk bit you cut which allows that bit to cook in the shorter time it takes the rest of the sprout to cook.
no?

Now, I'm talking about a very shallow cut - just in the stalk bit.

I find that if you trim them properly and cook them in batches of a similar size the cut just isn't necessary.

jos28

Love them myself. I always just boil them quickly on Christmas day and serve with melted butter. Then on Stephensesss day I shred them and stir fry with onion and bacon pieces. YUM !

ha-ya-said-what

ahhh the wee green ediable ping pong balls of fury that stink the house out of it!

carolinespring

lucylu wrote: »

I suppose Brussel sprouts are in season that is why they are eaten at Christmas time.
Yea can beat going out Christmas Morning to pick Brussel sprouts from the garden... pure satisfaction

Or to the supermarket on Christmas eve!!!!

brianthebard

bonkey wrote: »

The last two years, we grew our own. No tricks to force them or anything...just let them take their time. Apparently, sprouts taste best after the first frost...and either I imagined it, or thats *so* true.

I've been out picking them with a foot of snow on the ground, in temperatures so low that they are literally frozen solid on the plant....and they come through it fine.

This is true of almost all brassicas.

DublinWriter

They are so horrible than they actually go off the far end of the horribleness scale and actually taste good, especially with parsley sauce.

Mellor

I used to hate them as a kid, now they are my favourite part of Xmas dinner.

Sadly this year there won't be any on my plate, not in season and unlikely to be available anywhere, dissappointed to say the least

dumac

Here's the ten commandments of brussel sprouts:
http://irishherault.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/cooking-brussels-sprouts/

Like the bit about "putting the sprouts on in November", that sums it up:D

PaulieD

My dog is quite partial to a sprout or two. Especially on Christmas. The one day of the year nobody minds her begging at the table.

el dude

Can't stand them. I'm gagging just thinking of them.

Planet X

Quarter them. Frying pan. Drizzle of Olive oil. Fry them with lardons (streaky bacon), add a splash of cream. Beautiful.

Faith

I've been on a quest for the past year to educate my palate, and to try new foods. It's going well tbh. I now know that I love venison but don't really like scallops (which I really wanted to like!) etc. I tried some paté yesterday morning, and it was actually lovely. So when my dad asked me to try a Brussel sprout at the dinner table yesterday, I agreed. It sat on my plate, I looked at it for a bit. I put it in my mouth and.....


It was vile. I honestly thought I was going to get sick right there all over my dinner. It was the single most unpleasant thing I can ever remember having in my mouth. I had to take a huge mouthful of wine just to get it down. I certainly learned my lesson about them!

Little Alex

Your sprouts are my cucumbers!

Planet X

Frozen, they go well in a catapult.