In Puglia it is turnip greens, in Rome i broccoli, in Tuscany the robberies and in Sicily i mazzareddra. Instead in Naples they are for everyone friarielli. And it is with this name that they also landed at north, mainly through the dense and widespread network of pizzerias Neapolitan.

But What are exactly the friarelli? To answer this question, let's start frometymology (controversial) of their name. There are those who say it comes from Castilian "Frio-grelos" (ie winter broccoli) and who from Neapolitan "Frijere" (ie frying), in honor of the traditional way in which they come cooked. Already this double interpretation sums up the identity of these vegetables: friarielli are the most developed part of white turnip, widespread, cultivated and cooked in Italy south central.

Typical of the winter season, like all turnip greens, the broccoli taste pleasantly bitterish which makes them perfect for softening sweetness and "fatness" of many meats, starting from sausages pork with which they form acoupled winning e beloved. And that's exactly it binomial who introduced them to the north, where he is not there by now pizzeria who does not offer pizza stuffed with sausages is friarielli.

Choose the right ones

A good plate of broccoli starts with a good one expense. Better to choose those with stems more thin, crispy and rich in water, and with small ones inflorescences tightly closed, as if they were a bud, and colored dark green.

The ideal is to eat them fresh. But, if desired, they are preserved for 3 days in the refrigerator, wrapped in paper bags or micro-perforated food bags. Before putting them in the refrigerator, better clean, eliminating the most worn leaves.

Once in the kitchen, you can prepare them as required by the Neapolitan tradition, that is fried in a pan with garlic, olive oil and chili pepper. But the broccoli can also be cooked in more ways light. A good solution is to cook them a vapor or stew, keeping an eye on the timer. Indeed, the cooking they must be short otherwise the rich and beneficial is sent up heritage of vitamins and antioxidants that they bring as a dowry. Once cooked, the broccoli can be seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of lemon or they can be mixed with sweet ingredients, such as fruit shoal or dried (raisins, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds recommended), so from stemperarne the bitter taste.

Coupons on the plate
Friarielli are a great cooking classic bell, in which they are cooked in many ways, all appetizing. Sauteed with extra virgin olive oil and chilli are a side dish delicious. It is easy to prepare: just wash them well, eliminate the stems more fibrosis and leathery and the leaves larger, but retaining them inflorescences because they are the most part tasty. Sauté in a pan with a bottom of garlic and chilli that enhances its flavor, the broccoli become a seasoning healthy, tasty and superfast for both pasta (perfect if you choose the typical southern formats, such as orecchiette) or for the risotto.

Friarielli can also be used to stuff omelettes, savory pies or to prepare flans, salty muffins. And they are also tasty with i clams (like squid) and with cod. Another very successful combination is the one with the burrata, whose savory taste is milky softens the bitterness of the broccoli.

Good for health

The friarielli belong to the large family of the Brassicaceae and therefore, like all cabbages, have great benefits on health because they bring minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients which are useful for to prevent many diseases e detoxify the body. The best known effect is that cancer, which is due to glucorafanin: our body transforms it into sulforano, a compound capable of contrasting cell tumor and to fight L'Helicobacter pylori. Friarielli are also an excellent source of indole-3-carbinol useful in prevention of tumors breast, uterus and prostate. This compound also gets better the functions of the liver and therefore participate in power detox of friarielli. An effect to which the rich contributes kit of phytonutrients, such as gluconasturtin and glucobrassicin, which help remove the toxins body. Finally, the broccoli are an excellent one source of fibers, which not only favor the correct functioning of theintestine but they also help to control the level of the sugars in the blood. That's why also the broccoli contribute to "Sugar detox".

Only caveat: do not overdo the seasonings, to prevent turnip greens from becoming indigestible.

Manuela Soressi
April 2018
updated in March 2020
by Barbara Roncarolo