When else would you eat Sprouts

Q. So they come from Brussels, then
A.From Asia actually. From Iran and Pakistan, arriving in Europe by courtesy of the Crusaders, who boldly slaughtered their way East and returned triumphant bearing the mighty sprout.

Q. Not Belgian at all, then
A. Not many household names are. The sprout did become very popular in Belgium, though, around the turn of the 16th Century and Brussels did a booming trade in them.

Q. Can someone please tell me why on earth they became popular
A. They're hardy and grow well in cold climates - which made them very popular with the poor English peasant, who had little enough to live on at the best of times.

Q. So why are they associated with Christmas
A. The clues were 'hardy', and 'cold'. They grow well in winter, which is pretty much when Christmas happens to be. No peas and lettuce at this time of year, whereas the sprout is your guaranteed staple green veg.

Q. As a green vegetable, I suppose they are good for you
A. Correct! Sprouts contain pound for pound the spout contains more vitamin C than an orange. They also contain Sinigrin, a compound that is believed to help fight cancer. It is the Sinigrin that gives the sprouts its nutty taste.

Q. Anything else
A. They're low in fat, high in fibre and 100 per cent cholesterol free; contain folic acid and Vitamin D; and they contain anti-oxidants.

Q. Why do they seem to get smaller.
A.Global warming. Actually it is nothing to do with global warming at all, but rather more and more refined breeding patterns by the big growers. In the 16th century sprouts were the size of cabbages, but commercial development has seen them diminish to the tiny morsels we have today.

Q. Why does eating sprouts make one foully gaseous.
A. It doesn't. This is an urban myth and causes much angst among sprout growers.

Q. Is there anything to be done to make them taste good
A. Dutch scientists are working on making them sweeter, but an Englishman sprout enthusiast has developed a cocktail made from sprout juice, Tia Maria, and Cointreau.