A stock of Brussels sprouts
Brussels sprouts, a member of the Gemmifera cultivar group of cabbages, are a leafy green vegetable that looks extremely similar to a bunch of tiny cabbages. These vegetables are most notorious for their bitter taste and are commonly found in Belgium both before and after Doomsday, being named after the former capital city.
History[]
These sprouts used to be native to the Mediterranean with the Romans. The Great Migration is often credited with bringing them north, the sprout eventually reaching Brussels by the 13th century. The Industrial Revolution along with modern education throughout the 19th and 20th centuries caused them to increase in popularity even more. The 1940s led to new hybrids being developed such as the purple 'ruby crunch' and 'red bull' but all of this would change after the events of Doomsday.
Symbolism and legacy[]
For many in Belgium and the successor states, the vegetable is remembered fondly yet with pain. A singular sprout reminiscent of a nuclear bomb and its subsequent mushroom cloud was found by a scout team in the city of Brussels. The pain, worsened by the fact that the once grand capital and homeplace of the plant was now ruined, made the sprout a painful memory of the past. King Jean of Belgium, Duke of Luxembourg, upon seeing photos of the city's ruins after Doomsday remarked," Ne reste plus de choux de Bruxelles" (French: "No more Brussels sprouts").
Culinary Use[]
A photo of sautéed Brussel sprouts
Thanks to Doomsday, several key trade routes that supplied crops to the rest of the world were stopped and famines became commonplace. In such times of crisis, Brussels sprouts emerged as a popular alternative for several vegetables that were often imported by European nations. Despite numerous attempts to negate the bitter taste of the vegetable, it continues to be renowned for said taste. Desperate survivors often use them as easy-to-find garnishing. However, it was necessary to add supplementary vegetables, flour, or even milk to compensate for the taste. This is a compilation of some famous post-Doomsday meals that use Brussels sprouts in them.
Belgian Bread Soup[]
A popular meal for the poorest in post-Doomsday Belgium has been a soup made of bread, brussels sprouts, potatoes, eggs, garlic and nettles. Several neo-luxury restaurants have attempted to market this simple soup for the few remaining wealthy in the nation but none have been as successful as the Gentse Bistro. The restaurant credits its success to its founder who came up with the idea of doubling the soup portions and adding meat as an optional condiment, a plan that tripled their revenue in the first month of it being implemented.
Doomsday Remembrance Royal Quiche[]
To mark the sorrowful 40th anniversary of Doomsday on the 25th of September, the 'Evening Gazette' of the Kingdom of Northumbria publicised the recipe of a quiche to commemorate the occasion. The quiche consisted of two parts: the pastry and the filling. The pastry was to be made with a combination of flour, diced cold butter, lard and milk. The filling was to be made with heavy cream, milk, stinging nettle, fresh tarragon, eggs, cheese, pepper and obviously - Brussels sprouts.