Brussels sprouts may have been a culinary punchline for decades but the little brassicas are back on top thanks to some clever steps in genetics. As it turns out, the brussels sprouts that grace every chic restaurant menu over winter – slicked with bacon fat and shaved into salads – are genetically very different from the bitter nuggets we choked down in childhood. And they’re scientifically sweeter.

To get here, food scientists and farmers first needed to undo a few missteps. Starting, naturally, in the decade of TV dinners, the Space Race, and mechanised harvesting, the 1960s. In the pursuit of perfection, agriculturists needed a brussels sprout plant that would mature evenly over the whole stem and was tough enough to handle the new-fangled harvesters. 

New strains of vibrant green brussels sprouts were developed to mature evenly across the plant, which looked great but were horrendously bitter. Fast forward 30 years and an entire generation had been traumatised by sad, soggy, bitter sprouts that had been boiled to within an inch of their lives and one Dutch scientist had had enough. 

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Hans van Doorn set out on a mission to isolate the chemical compounds that made the sprouts so bitter. Through his work at seed company Syngenta (FKA Novartis), van Doorn discovered that compounds sinigrin and progoitrin cause the sprouts’ bitterness. He took to the seed banks of the world to experiment with the hundreds of heritage sprout varieties that are lower in sinigrin and progoitrin to cross-pollinate with the newer high-yield sprouts and thus, the sweeter sprouts took hold across the globe.

The hard work has paid off, as brussels sprouts moved from daggy side dish to restaurant hero. New stats show that Aussies can’t get enough brussels sprouts, with a 53 percent sales increase from 2022-2023. Slow-roasted, caramelised and crispy; tossed raw with punchy vinaigrette; luxuriating on a bed of buttered lentils and crowned with fresh mint and chèvre. It’s been a bumpy ride to the top, but victory for the brussels sprouts has been sweet.

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How to cook brussels sprouts

Step away from the boiling water! There are so many ways to prepare brussels sprouts to create delicious dishes – shaved into a salad, fried with bacon, steamed and dressed with lemon – however, to get the most out of your sprouts, there are a couple of handy hints.

Peel away any woody or damaged external leaves. If cooking the sprouts whole, timing the stalks and carving a small ‘X’ in the core can help for an even cook. Need inspiration? Check out our favourite sprout recipes here.

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