🥦 It looks like a tiny green tree 🌳, with dense clusters of deep-green florets on top, like a compact little forest, supported by a thick, pale-green stem. Cute, sturdy, and oddly satisfying to look at (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧.

When you bite into it raw, it’s crisp and refreshing, with a slight grassy bitterness; after being lightly blanched, it turns tender and juicy while still keeping a pleasant bite. It doesn’t fall apart or turn mushy, making it very enjoyable to eat ( ´◡` ).

Its versatility in cooking is hard to beat: it can be stir-fried or lightly sautéed, blanched and served cold, tossed with garlic and oyster sauce, or gently pan-fried with butter 🧈. Steaming, roasting, air-frying, or even adding it to hot pots and soups all work beautifully 🍲.

On Taiwanese and Chinese tables, it often appears as garlic-stir-fried broccoli or broccoli with oyster sauce; in Western cuisines, it’s commonly steamed or roasted to pair with steak 🥩, or used in creamy bakes and salads. In Japan, it frequently shows up in warm vegetable dishes, bento 🍱, and miso soup; in Korea, it’s prepared as namul or served as a side in japchae; in Italy, it’s often sautéed with mixed vegetables or paired with pasta 🍝.

Found in healthy meals all around the world, broccoli truly lives up to its nickname as a “nutritional little green tree” 💚. It is a reliable, all-purpose side dish that many people love <(￣︶￣)>.