Purple cauliflower
Brassica oleracea · Brassica
Top 10 pairings
Purple cauliflower is the anthocyanin-rich cultivar whose curd ripens a deep violet to royal purple instead of the usual blanched white. Beyond the striking colour it eats a touch milder, sweeter and nuttier than white cauliflower, with the same firm, faintly waxy snap raw. Its one quirk is the pigment itself — water-soluble anthocyanin that bleeds and shifts toward blue-grey or green when the curd is boiled, so it keeps its colour best when roasted, steamed briefly, or cooked with a splash of acid.
Picking a good onedrag
Tight white curdRicey, speckled, sulfurous
Trimmed and tightEveryday bestThe standard shop head: roast, steam, rice or purée.
CurdIvory, or a faint green cast, still tight
HeftFirm and dense, no give
Stalk and leavesLeaves trimmed short, cut face drying pale
SmellFaintly green and sweet
These cues are Cauliflower's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.
What you get from one
39%
Edible part
588 g · leaves, core and stalk out
1508 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 8× longer than the counter.
95–98%
Humidity
Vented, kept dry
Airflow