Word for Wednesday: Brussels Sprout

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December’s Word for Wednesday theme is festive food and drink. 

So far we’ve looked at mulled wine, mince pies, and eggnog. Today’s festive food is the Brussels sprout.

This Christmas dinner vegetable is often debated – some people love Brussels sprouts, others can’t stand them. A Brussels sprout is a small green cabbage-like bud that grows on a stalk. The word dates to 1740, though the first written description of this type of vegetable dates to the 1580s. 

Brussels sprouts have long been associated with Flanders, specifically Brussels, in Belgium. The name Brussels is of Germanic origin and comes from ‘brocca’ meaning ‘marsh’ and ‘sali’ meaning ‘room’ or ‘building’. ‘Sali’ comes from the Latin ‘cella’ meaning ‘cell’.

Sprout comes from the Old English ‘sprota’, from the verb ‘sprutan’, from the Proto-Germanic ‘sprut’. 

Do you like Brussels sprouts? 


23 Dec 2020
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