At one time, Brussels sprouts had a very bad reputation. They were similar to broccoli, in that they were always mentioned when somebody spoke about hating vegetables.
These days, however, things are quite different. Not only are Brussels sprouts delicious, but they are also popular and you will find them on most menus as a side dish or even an appetizer.
It seems as if there is a scientific reason why this happened. It is just one of those things you learn when you visit TikTok.
It all started when a foodie posted a video: Top 5 Vegetables of the 2010s. They mentioned that, according to their memory, people didn’t eat Brussels sprouts before that decade.
A video was posted that showed why Brussels sprouts are now on everybody’s plate. After being posted, it went viral with millions of views.
They spoke about children in the ’80s and ’90s knowing that Brussels sprouts were bitter. They said you couldn’t eat them because they were so bad.
A Dutch scientist, Hans von Doorn, took a close look at Brussels sprouts and found the chemical that was making them better.
He published a study in 1998, revealing the chemicals as sinigrin and progoitrin. After the chemicals were identified, they crossbred the Brussels sprouts with higher-producing varieties to remove the chemicals.
Long story short, Brussels sprouts were no longer bitter.
It took some time but eventually, they started to catch on. People realized that this once bitter vegetable was now palatable and they started popping up on restaurant menus everywhere.
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So, if you ever wonder why you used to hate Brussels sprouts but now you love them, you can thank science for it.