Homegrown sprouts
In the Belgian dish stoemp, in quiches, in sausage... Everyone knows this little green vegetable, although the same cannot be said for its origins.
All the evidence suggests that the Brussels sprout originated in Saint-Gilles, a village neighbouring Brussels in the 17th century. At the time, it would have been cultivated and developed by the market gardeners in Saint-Gilles. With farmland becoming increasingly rare and the population growing at breakneck speed, the market gardeners created a new hybrid in 1685, which grew vertically and represented a considerable space saving.
The cabbage crop proved to be very profitable for the residents of Saint-Gilles, also earning them the nickname of "kuulkappers" ("cabbage cutters"). The Brussels sprout was introduced into France in 1815 and into England in 1884, before invading the rest of the world.
It has now become the symbol of Brussels' residents who are 'Sprout to be Brussels'. And who promote our bustling capital in all its authenticity, whether in terms of its culture, its food, its friendliness or its humour.