Sort the fruit from the veg with 12 festive facts

A team of experts has drawn up a list of 12 little-known vegetable-related facts, which kicks off with a cast-iron excuse to shun brussels sprouts on Christmas Day.

Experts at the University of Warwick’s School of Life Sciences compiled the list, which provides food for thought for those tucking into a traditional Christmas meal.

1. Don’t like Brussels sprouts? Blame your genes

“There are many people who can’t stand Brussels sprouts,” says Dr Graham Teakle, from Warwick Crop Centre, “and that’s because of variants in a gene called TAS2R38, one of the receptors on your tongue responsible for perceiving bitterness. This particular receptor perceives the flavour compounds in Brassicas known as glucosinolates. The PAV ’taster’ variant increases the sensitivity to the glucosinolates in Brussels sprouts, causing an unpalatable response, while the AVI variant is referred to as the non-taster form.”

2. Carrots were not always orange

“First cultivated in Asia, carrots were originally white and purple,” says Dr Charlotte Allender, who also works at the Crop Centre. “But changes in the genes controlling pigment production were exploited by farmers and plant breeders to give us orange carrots.”

3. University of Warwick researchers are working on a Vegetable Genetic Improvement Network

The initiative aims to assist plant breeders to deliver improved, more sustainable varieties of Brassicas, lettuce, onions and carrots able to cope with reduced quantities of pesticides, fertilisers, and water.

4. Boiling destroys the anti-cancer properties of vegetables

“If you want to get the maximum benefit from your Christmas vegetables then boiling is out. You need to consider stir-frying, steaming or microwaving them,” advises Paul Thornalley, professor of systems biology at Warwick Medical School.

5. A cauliflower is not a flower

“It’s actually proliferation of several million meristems,” says Dr Teakle. “A meristem is the growing tip of a plant shoot from which all other plant organs develop. Cauliflower is the only plant to do this.”

6. Some vegetables can be “bred” like dogs

Dr Teakle: “The highly variable shapes of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, and kales are different forms of the same species — Brassica oleracea — and can be intercrossed with each other. Brassica oleracea is sometimes referred to as the ‘dog’ of the plant world.”

7. Carrots can help you to see in the dark

“The orange colour of carrots is due to a compound called beta-carotene,” says Dr Allender. “Beta-carotene is needed to produce vitamin A, which is converted to the retinal pigment used by your eyes to detect light. One of the symptoms of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness — so you could say carrots really do help you see in the dark.”

8. Brassicas are a source of antioxidants

“Many also have antioxidant and other health benefits and medical trials are being performed to verify the range of these benefits,” says Dr Teakle.

9. Parsnips get sweeter in the cold

The develop a more pronounced sweet taste after being stored in the cold. This is caused by the conversion of carbohydrates to sugars.

10. Peas and beans are good for your garden

“If you want a better garden, grow peas and beans,” Dr Teakle advises.

11. There’s a vegetable that tastes of carrots and parsnips

Root parsley combines characters of all three crops. Dr Allender: “Carrots, parsnip, and parsley are members of the same family of plants, the Apiaceae, which also contains vegetables and herbs such as celery, fennel and coriander.”

12. Warwick Crop Centre hosts the UK Vegetable Genebank, preserving an internationally significant collection of seed samples from different vegetable varieties, including seed from more than 1,000 varieties of brussels sprouts. These and other samples are conserved and made available to plant breeders and researchers across the world.