Broccoli is an edible green plant in the cabbage family whose large flowering head, stalk and small associated leaves are eaten as a vegetable. It is eaten either raw or cooked. Broccoli is a particularly rich source of vitamin C and vitamin K.

Boiling substantially reduces the levels of broccoli glucosinolates, while other cooking methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, have no significant effect on glucosinolate levels.

The word "broccoli" comes from the Italian plural of "broccolo", which means "the flowering crest of a cabbage", and is the diminutive form of "brocco", meaning "small nail" or "sprout".

Broccoli resulted from breeding of landrace "Brassica" crops in the northern Mediterranean starting in about the sixth century BCE. Broccoli has its origins in primitive cultivars grown in the Roman Empire and was most likely improved via artificial selection in the southern Italian Peninsula or in Sicily. Broccoli was spread to northern Europe by the 18th century and brought to North America in the 19th century by Italian immigrants.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org